Blind Faith
by Kinaga
Summary: A blind seer joins Inuyasha's group after Naraku makes a serious mistake. Find out the result.
1. Revelations

_Author's Note: This story is based mainly on the anime series, InuYasha, and the movies based on that series, written by Rumiko Takahashi. All the original characters are hers. I claim no rights to their use or exploitation in this or any other story at this time. Thank you._

Chapter 1: Revelations 

It was evening in the wilds of feudal Japan. Behind her, as Kikyo walked, the sky was brilliant with gradually descending color, much like a watercolor painting done in startling shades of violet, red and gold. The tall, simply dressed priestess took no notice, continuing to walk as if it were still day. Had she been alive, she imagined that she would probably be preparing to make some sort of camp right about now, but the body her spirit wore was not truly flesh. It was animated clay. When touched by the living, it gave the complete semblance of flesh, save only for a lack of warmth. This made passing through the villages of the living much more convenient. Otherwise, it did not really matter. Strictly speaking, she was not really alive.

Fifty years ago, due to the machinations of someone called Naraku, she had died, the victim of, so she had been led to believe, betrayal by the one person to whom she had dared to give some portion of her heart. Naraku! The name brought out the fiercest kind of hatred in Kikyo's soul. Hatred she had once reserved solely for the one she had believed to be her betrayer. Hatred she had to lock away tightly in order to be able to function from day to day. Now, here she was, no longer a living woman, but a revenant in a clay body with a heart of bones and burial soil. As such, she no longer required the so-called necessities of human life; namely food, water and sleep. She could partake of such, of course, when called upon to do so, but her true nourishment, the fuel that kept the clay body mobile and functioning in the life-like manner it did were the souls of dead and dying women.

It was for this purpose that a small cloud of soul-collectors, known to some as _shinidamachu_ or "dead soul insects", floated along in Kikyo's wake like a group of long, white snakes married to water skippers and given the power of flight. They had been her companions since the day of her resurrection, providing her, from time to time, with sustenance in the form of stolen souls.

When she was alive, things were different, though not profoundly so. Though she had still wandered, it had not been quite so often. When she was not wandering, she had lived in a village not far from a time tree that the villagers believed to be sacred, calling it "the God Tree." Not far from that, built with its wood, there stood a dry well that had been there for some time. Kikyo was aware the thing had been originally dug for the purposes of getting water. Now, dry as dust, the well served to keep the bones of dead demons in a safe place. Eventually, the bones would disappear, so the place had been given the name, "Bone-Eaters Well." That was the name it had possessed when Kikyo was still very young. Later, as the village priestess, living only with her ten-year-old sister, Kaede, war having claimed both father and mother, she would often visit both tree and well, if for no other reason than that beneficial plants and herbs grew in a field nearby, and run her fingers over the rough aging wood, wondering idly to herself about the other eras both fixtures supposedly existed in.

Often, in her capacity as priestess, she had been called upon to make use of her holy powers to dispatch some demon or other intent upon terrorizing the people. Demons rarely cared about the lives of the humans they hurt. To many of them, humans were nothing, much like cattle or chickens. This being the case, in order to deal with them, she'd found it necessary to gather up all her emotions and lock them behind a steel door in her mind, concealing the key deep in her heart. This enabled her to be brutal, to kill without hesitation or mercy, taking no harm to her own soul in the process. It was during that time in her life that Tsubaki, a corrupt shrine maiden who, for some reason, felt the need to be better than Kikyo, had placed a curse upon her. Should she ever allow herself to fall in love, she would lose her holy powers, resulting in her untimely death. At the time, Kikyo had thought nothing of it. She? Fall in love? Foolishness. Then the Shikon Jewel had come into her life and, after that, Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha," the word escaped her like the sighing of the breeze in the branches above her. Just the thought of his name caused her soul to burn with phantom pain. Normally, she would push such feelings aside, locking them, along with the rest of her emotions, firmly behind the steel door in her mind and then daring herself to throw the key away forever. It never worked, however. For one thing, she could never quite bring herself to dispose of the non-existent key. For another, thoughts and feelings about Inuyasha tended to escape their confinement when she wasn't busy with other things. Times like now.

This time, she made no attempt at pushing the thoughts away. Instead, she drew them close, handling them with the same care as she might touch a timeworn doll made of old silk.

When was the first time she'd met Inuyasha? It had been at the tail end of a very strenuous battle with a series of particularly vicious demons late on a rainy night with no moon, when she had felt herself being watched. By that time, her senses had been honed to their very peak, which was certainly a good thing, considering the number of demons she was having to deal with on a daily basis by then. In any case, she'd felt him watching her and sensed demon energy in his direction, though it had faded with the sunset.

Her first assumption was that, like all the rest who met her in the wild lands beyond the village, he was after the Shikon Jewel. Rather than attack, however, he had hidden. Shortly after that, due mainly to exhaustion and loss of blood, she had collapsed, believing that her unknown opponent would, in her moment of weakness, slay her and take the jewel then. But he'd surprised her again, jumping down from where ever he was hiding to check on her and then running away when the villagers, led by Kaede, had come looking for her.

Later, of course, he'd come back demanding it and she supposed, looking back, that she could very possibly have killed him there and then. Very likely, considering Tsubaki's barely veiled curse, she probably should have. Looking at him, however, he had given the impression of a very young man, slightly younger than her own eighteen years. In any event, he was probably much older than she was physically, by reason of his demon blood, though he was probably just a little less so mentally and emotionally. Eventually, she had gotten him to tell his name and before long he was following her around like the puppy he resembled, though he would probably have become upset if she had even so much as implied such a thing in his presence.

After only a few days, she had begun to see beyond the gruff exterior Inuyasha used as a defense. Beyond it was a strange innocence that she'd never expected to see there. That, among only a few other things was what prevented her from giving him the Beads of Subjugation, a rosary that, interestingly enough, he now wore, likely by Kaede's contrivance. Shortly after that, she had begun including him in her missions. His powers and presence had both been useful and he had saved her life more than a few times.

Still, though she had tried to distance herself from him, that hidden innocence had found its way into her heart, unearthing the rarely used key hidden there. Without either of them realizing it, fate had twisted its red thread around their fingers. She'd found herself enjoying his company, even longing for it at times when he wasn't with her. Of course, she'd never trusted him fully, in part due to his insistence that the only reason he was with her so often was so that he could get the Shikon Jewel from her, not to mention the intimidatingly cold quality of his gaze on her, but that never seemed to stop her from wanting to spend time with him.

In time, she'd begun to notice her powers beginning to dwindle. In point of fact, one such instance had cost her younger sister her right eye. However, even that had not stopped Kikyo from wanting to be with Inuyasha. She longed for a normal life, filled with love and understanding in the arms of a man who cared for her. Longed for it with a passion that was hard to describe. As for Inuyasha, she knew he _said_ he wanted the Jewel to transform him into a full-blooded demon. But after only a few weeks, she knew the reason for that was a fundamental need for acceptance. Until he met Kikyo, Inuyasha had thought acceptance meant respect and the only way he'd get that was through a show of strength. Unfortunately, the stronger he became the more he tended to chase people away; the ultimate consequence of that had been… loneliness. Therefore, with the Jewel in his possession, he would have complete access to his only desire, to belong.

Temporarily forgetting Tsubaki's curse, Kikyo had offered a simple solution to both problems. She would give Inuyasha the Jewel if he would use it to become human. Such a pure and decent wish would likely purify the Jewel completely, causing it to disappear, its purpose fulfilled. Then, with the Jewel gone, Kikyo could, in good conscience, cease to be a priestess, freeing her for her longed for normal life and simultaneously providing Inuyasha with the love and acceptance he craved. After much thought, he agreed.

Even then, she had to admit she hadn't trusted him completely. She realized that now. She supposed, looking back, her lack of trust had probably been her downfall. Had she completely trusted Inuyasha and the shy, vulnerable, child-like innocence hiding behind the gruff mask he habitually wore, she'd never have believed him capable of the kind of brutality Naraku had portrayed him as possessing when he'd appeared wearing Inuyasha's semblance and raked the gaping holes in her chest and right shoulder that had been responsible for her death.

Yet, since she'd sealed Inuyasha to the sacred time tree and then died fifty years ago, the red thread of fate, once tied to their fingers in such a way that it had been beautiful in its simplicity, was now hopelessly tangled. Many had been the times since her resurrection that she'd tried to repair it. She still wanted to believe that things between herself and Inuyasha could be repaired. She knew, though, somehow, that her former lack of trust in him, not to mention his in her and her actions toward him since her resurrection, had irreparably marred things between them

Kikyo had once asked Inuyasha to descend with her to hell and he had seemed willing at the time. Now, however, she was no longer certain he was willing to fulfill that promise, even if she was still sure she wanted him to sacrifice everything on the basis of his long borne guilt just to keep her from being alone. She had seen the way he looked at the girl, Kagome, who carried the majority of Kikyo's soul in her young body and was living the normal life Kikyo still yearned for albeit in another time. Kikyo had watched Inuyasha leap into harms way for Kagome's sake. Likewise, she had seen the way Kagome would throw caution to the four winds for Inuyasha, not to mention the girl's determination to stay by Inuyasha's side even though he still tended to leave her for long periods of time at the first mention of the name "Kikyo." It had become obvious, to Kikyo at least, that Inuyasha and Kagome had come to trust each other more deeply than she had ever been allowed to achieve with the dog-hanyō during her own lifetime. A consequence of this trust was that the hurts Kikyo had seen in Inuyasha's heart had begun to heal, a thing the priestess had hoped to achieve herself.

Suddenly, a low, pain-filled moan from somewhere near her feet tore her from her thoughts. Gently, Kikyo folded the thoughts up like an old kimono, storing them away for future perusal as she bent to find the source of the sound. Lying in the scrub, not more than a foot or two away, a female figure lay on her face dressed in the torn and bloody remains of what must have been a truly beautiful blue and white silk kimono, the white undergarment beneath was also badly torn and blood soaked. Her unusually pale hair was matted and stained with new blood. Just by a cursory look, Kikyo guessed the woman had been beaten, stoned and, more than likely, stabbed with some sort of farm implement, probably a pitchfork.

"Kocho," Kikyo commanded, kneeling at the injured girl's side, "I need warm water, fresh clothing and clean rags. Asuka, go and prepare a fire and some food." Immediately, the two shikigami girls that had been following her departed, floating up into the air like smoke or shadows in their brightly colored kimonos.

Carefully, Kikyo slid a hand under the woman's shoulder, gently turning her onto her side and bending to listen to her breathing, which was ragged and shallow. The skin beneath Kikyo's hand was slightly warm to the touch, showing no signs of fever. Hideous bruises decorated the delicate, pale skin that was exposed at the hems and through the tears of the flimsy garment she wore. Tenderly, Kikyo turned the woman over onto her back and was surprised to note that the ear exposed by doing so was shaped like a kind of miniature wing, complete with tiny, white feathers all along the edge. She was a hanyō, then, the often-unaccepted product of a union between a human and a demon.

'_Inuyasha,'_ Kikyo thought, the name leaping unbidden into her mind again. Looking at the female before her, the priestess noticed that, even though the long hair was as pale as moonlight, the features of the injured girl held many of the rounded, innocent qualities of childhood, but also several of the long and graceful traits of oncoming maturity. In fact, looking at her, she seemed to be not much older than the dog-hanyō in Kikyo's thoughts. Deftly, the priestess shoved Inuyasha into the back of her mind again, carefully opening the torn kimono to examine the bleeding wounds hidden beneath the cloth.

"Lady Kikyo," Azuka said, landing before her on the right, "the fire and food are ready, as you requested."

"Lady Kikyo," Kocho added, landing next to her sister on the left, "here are the things you asked for."

"Take the clothing to our camp, Kocho," Kikyo instructed, quietly taking the water and rags. Immediately, the girl in question turned and walked away carrying the remaining bundle. Laying the warm bowl on the ground next to her, Kikyo selected the smallest of the rags and began to carefully clean the oozing wounds, a few of which were very deep. As she wiped the numerous wounds, the tall priestess gently undressed the girl, carefully binding each of the wounded girl's hurts with the remaining cloths.

"Help me carry her over to the fire, please, Azuka," Kikyo directed, draping the remains of the stained and ragged kimono over the body of its newly bandaged owner. Obediently, the remaining shikigami girl walked around to the head of the wounded hanyō. Reaching her hand out, Azuka lightly touched the center of the wounded forehead. Instantly, the unconscious hanyō rose from the ground until she was about level with Azuka's shoulders. Azuka then turned and walked toward the distant fire, her charge trailing along behind like a kind of low-flying kite. Kikyo followed, eventually reaching the hastily assembled camp, the requested fire and packet of food had been placed about three paces from the shore of a swiftly flowing stream. Without being asked, Kocho had pulled down a number of low-hanging branches and leaves, placing them near enough to the fire that they resembled a kind of bed. Stepping lightly across this natural pallet, Azuka gently lowered the floating hanyō onto it. Kocho finished by lightly removing the ragged kimono and recovering the unconscious girl with the newer one.

Carefully seating herself within arms reach, Kikyo wondered briefly how long the group of them would be there. As an after thought, the priestess erected a spirit barrier, ensuring that no one could interrupt her except perhaps the girl, Kagome. That done, Kikyo settled herself into a lotus position, ready for a long wait.

Her patience was rewarded when, an hour later, the girl's eyes fluttered open. However, as Kikyo watched, rather than turning her head or moving her eyes to discover her location and surroundings, there was movement beneath the spread kimono. Soon, a delicate hand armed with a set of sharp-looking claws patted its way out from under the covering, feeling the ground beneath, stopping only when they touched Kikyo's leg.

"Is someone there?" the injured hanyō asked hesitantly, her hand slipping quickly beneath the concealment of the kimono.

"Yes," Kikyo answered kindly, noting that many of the bruises she had noticed before were already beginning to fade, as if they were days rather than hours old.

"Who are you?" the girl asked, turning her gaze in Kikyo's direction, but failing to meet the older woman's eyes.

"I'm called Kikyo," the priestess replied, gently brushing a vagrant strand of white hair from the face of her patient, "and you?"

"Tenkei," the girl replied tiredly, her eyes closing. As Kikyo watched, the other hand snaked out from under the cover of the kimono, patting the nearby ground before slipping back again.

"May I have my staff back, please," she added warily.

Kikyo flicked a glance toward the two waiting shikigami before responding, "I did not see it when I found you. I have sent people to search for it." Kikyo glanced discreetly after Kocho and Azuka as they ran back to the place where Tenkei had been found. "Rest now," Kikyo added, readjusting the now slightly rumpled kimono covering the girl, "at the rate you are healing, you should be completely whole by tomorrow morning." Kikyo watched her young charge drift reluctantly back to sleep. A few moments later, Kocho and Azuka returned bearing a six-foot staff the entire length of which was covered with intricate carvings. Kikyo gently took the staff from the two girls and placed it carefully between herself and the sleeping Tenkei, absently noting the small amount of power she sensed in it as she did so.

The night passed uneventfully. By this time, Kikyo's barrier was strong enough to keep out any unwanted company, even if there had been any. So, shortly after sunrise, Tenkei began to stir again. As before, her first action was to search the ground with her hands. In no time, her right came into contact with the carved staff. Seizing it, she hugged it close.

"You are still there, are you not?" Tenkei asked, staring uncertainly at the brightening sky, "Kikyo?"

"I am here," Kikyo smiled, "Good morning to you."

"Good morning," Tenkei returned, pulling herself stiffly into a sitting position.

"Are you hungry?" Kikyo asked pleasantly, "I have had some food brought for you."

"Your actions are very kind," Tenkei replied, her eyes narrowing in suspicion, "What do you want? Do not tell me you want nothing. Humans do not help those of demon blood for no reason."

"Perhaps," Kikyo answered, "I helped you because you remind me of a friend of mine."

"A friend?" said Tenkei in confusion, "Like me? Truly?"

"Yes," Kikyo smiled, "but you must be cold. Let me check your wounds and then I will help you into your new kimono. Your old one was badly torn. Afterward, you may eat, if you wish." Gingerly, Kikyo checked each bandage while Tenkei sat there patiently staring off into space. Finally, each injury had been checked, all of which had healed so completely during the night it was as if they had never been there to begin with. Soon the hanyō girl was clean and dressed in the new kimono.

"This is nice, " Tenkei smiled timidly, stroking the fabric clasped around her body, "What color is it?"

"It is blue," Kikyo responded, hiding her amusement as she handed her a bowl of rice and pickles, "with pink hyacinths."

"Truly?" Tenkei replied, her smile broadening, "Blue is a nice color."

Kikyo smiled, watching as her charge began to eat the proffered food, then offering freshly roasted fish when the rice was gone.

"Thank you," Tenkei said bowing, when the fish, too, was gone, "I am in your debt."

"It is nothing," Kikyo responded, still smiling.

"Please, you must understand," the hanyō objected, setting the remains of the fish on the ground before her. "Just before my mother died, she told me there was only one debt of honor I should not immediately attempt to repay. You have fed and clothed me, tended my injuries and treated me kindly. Since the death of my mother, no person, human or otherwise, has done any such thing to me. Thus, I owe you a debt of honor. It must be paid." So saying, she reached across and laid her delicate fingers on Kikyo's hand. Suddenly, Tenkei's eyes blazed, glowing with a bright blue light that illuminated the shady little clearing with a kind of phantom radiance.

"Oh," Tenkei gasped, her voice taking on a peculiar unearthly quality, "You're dead. The years stretch behind you like a veil. You were recently reborn to a new life in a strange land I don't recognize. You still exist there and yet you are here. A resurrection. Her presence alone makes reading you possible."

Kikyo pulled away in shock to be read so easily.

"I see a pale-haired man with dog-like ears," Tenkei continued, unhindered by lack of contact, "Your heart longs for him; for a normal life, a life torn from you. You seek revenge on the creature responsible. He is a creature of many faces but, behind it all, I see a small malevolent presence. Each day he exists, his power grows. Yet, of all people, he fears and hates you. It is for this reason that he slew you so long ago.

"Hear me, Lady

Kikyo. In repayment for your services to me, I offer you this knowledge. You must rejoin with yourself in a body of living flesh. Only then will you know success in either goal."

With this, she sighed, her visage and voice returning to normal.

"That is impossible," Kikyo declared dispassionately, all traces of emotion abruptly leaving her face, "I refuse to return until I have completed my task."

"Perhaps, I should explain," Tenkei offered, her outstretched hand returning to her lap, "Have you heard of a blade called the _Naginata of Kenkon?_"

Kikyo nodded.

"This weapon is reputedly very powerful," continued Tenkei, "So powerful, in fact, that it was split into two pieces and hidden, to prevent it being used for evil purposes. You and your alternate are like unto it. Like the naginata, you each have great qualities on your own and are each, in your own right, very dangerous. But, however deadly each half may be, neither has the power of the completed weapon. Legend tells that the rejoined blade would be deadly if wielded by the right hands, but neither will have the full power of the whole so long as they continue to be separate. Further, there are things the completed blade could accomplish that would be impossible for the two pieces. So it is with you and your alternate.

"There is a way that you might affect such a reunion of your soul with the remainder contained in the living body of your alternate without losing the knowledge and effectiveness your long years of experience in fighting the many-faced demon have brought you, not to mention the complete use of the powers you share. Furthermore, if you rejoin with yourself, you will then have the guarantee that the dog-eared one will remember you until his dying day and his memory of you will be pleasant to him.

"Understand, however, that if you choose to remain separate, not only will you never have the power you need to defeat the many-faced demon once and for all, you will eventually lose the heart of the dog-eared one. He will only remember you as one might remember an old nightmare."

"What did you say?" Kikyo asked, the calmness in her voice effectively hiding her anger, "I will…lose?"

"This is the meaning of the vision, Lady Kikyo," Tenkei explained, serenely, "Should you remain separate from yourself, you will never have the power you need to achieve your purpose. As for the dog-eared one, he lives continually in the presence of your alternate. If you truly wish to succeed, you must rejoin yourself within the living body of your alternate, as I told you." With that, Tenkei set the end of her staff on the ground, using it to push herself to her feet. "I must go now, Lady Kikyo," she said sadly, "My debt to you is paid. I regret that I have left you with questions rather than answers. You now have a decision to make. I advise you to make it quickly. Dead or not, I am afraid you will find that time is not on your side." With that, Tenkei bowed low, then turned herself and began to walk, using her staff to feel the ground in front of her.

Far above, several strange-looking bees hovered, then followed in the hanyō's wake.

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"Hakudoshi," Naraku commented, gazing coolly into Kanna's mirror, which showed the figure of a woman dressed in blue, feeling her way along an unknown road with a tall staff. "I have felt the barrier of the woman, Kikyo, not far from here. She was helping another hanyō: this woman. She possesses the ability to see the future. Go to her and gaze into her thoughts, my extension. Find out form her the places Kikyo will visit that you may destroy her once and for all. Take Kagura with you."

Hakudoshi nodded. "Kagura," he smiled, turning to her, "Let's go."

Grumbling, though not outwardly, Kagura removed a single feather from her hair and tossed it negligently out a window, leaping onto its suddenly enlarged width and floating away with the white-haired boy behind her. It was sunset before they saw the woman in question. Wearing a long cloak she had obtained somewhere, the woman had managed to convince a farming family to provide her with shelter for the night.

"Set us down in that field, Kagura," Hakudoshi murmured.

"Fine," replied Kagura, obeying. Immediately, the gigantic feather returned to its former size. Catching it out of the air, Kagura carefully tucked it back into place. "What now?" she added, leaning indifferently against the trunk of a nearby tree.

"We wait," Hakudoshi told her mildly, settling himself on the ground near her.

"Fine," Kagura repeated, toying disinterestedly with her steel fan.

Two hours later, Hakudoshi rose. "Wait here," he commanded, walking toward the house. Silently, the white-haired boy found the door the hanyō had used, pushing the bamboo curtain aside just enough for him to slip past it. Within, using her kimono as a blanket, lay the woman Naraku had shown him in Kanna's mirror. Stealthily, the boy crept over to the bed and lay down next to the sleeping hanyō, lightly placing his head on her chest. In this position, Hakudoshi could complete his assignment easily and, considering Naraku's direct connection with his mind, the information he gathered would go directly to the one desiring it. Gently, the boy began to delve into the sleeping thoughts of the young woman. Just as he began to think he would reach the information he sought, the thoughts he was searching leapt into alertness. A second later, there was a flash of light and he was thrown into the wall.

"Naraku," the girl seethed, her eyes seeming not to look so much _at _Hakudoshi as _though _him, "How dare you send your minion to rifle through my mind as if it were some kind of clothing chest. You could not have troubled yourself to come to me in person and ask, could you? From this moment, you will wish you had. I now place upon you the most powerful curse known to man or demon: the Hand of Fate!" There was a second flash of light, and Hakudoshi felt an inexplicable chill run through his body. "Until now, Naraku," the girl continued furiously, "fate smiled upon you. Now, the wheel of fate has turned again. From this time forth success will flee you. Karma has now come to roost."

As Hakudoshi watched, the girl began to change. Her eyes began to glow with an unholy blue light, casting strange shadows all around the small room. Meanwhile, the top section of her white hair, beginning at her forehead, changed slowly to crimson as the woman's demon blood asserted itself. Short claws on the tips of the girl's fingers were soon talons.

"Know the depths of your folly, Naraku," the hanyō declared, her voice taking on an otherworldly quality, "You will never see the woman known as Kikyo again unless she decides to face you herself. Should she do so, you will find yourself unable to harm her. I know that you will soon achieve your goal and hold the completed Shikon Jewel in your hand. You will live to see for yourself its beauty as it shines with all its dark and corrupted malice. However, you will never be able to use it for the purpose you have planned. It will be taken from you by the most unlikely of hands and purified before your very eyes until it glows with a heavenly light such as no living being has yet beheld. At that time, your life will be forfeit to the blade of the greatest sword on earth combined with the arrows you fear the most.

"There is only one way you can escape this doom, Naraku," the woman whispered, pacing toward Hakudoshi with impossible grace, "You must give the part of the jewel you now possess into the hands of its guardian. You must abase yourself to her in earnest apology, Naraku, and then foreswear the jewel forever, on your life's blood. Only then will the curse on you be turned away.

"One last thing, Naraku," the girl smiled coldly, seizing the astounded Hakudoshi by his _hitoe_, "Do not send this minion against me again. If you do, I will make certain you regret it."

"Now," she growled, yanking Hakudoshi up so that his eyes met hers, "beg me for forgiveness." So saying, she threw the astonished boy through the door, causing the bamboo curtain to flap wildly as he passed through it.

Enraged, Hakudoshi stalked back to where Kagura was waiting for him.

"So?" Kagura asked, secretly amused by the look on the boy's face.

"Destroy it!" Hakudoshi commanded.

11


	2. Enter the Blind Seer

**Chapter 2: Enter the Blind Seer**

Inuyasha sat in the comforting arms of a tall tree contemplating the stars. Beneath him, the others lay sleeping. He preferred camping out in the open to staying in human buildings, mainly because it was easier to hear or smell enemies when they were close, although avoiding the dishonest means Miroku used to get quarters for the night ran a very close second. Below him, interestingly enough, Kagome had chosen to roll out her strange-looking bedroll in just the perfect spot to allow him to gaze on her all night if that was his desire. Miroku and Sango each slept not more than a few feet to either side of her and, as usual, Shippō was lying with his head on Kagome's slender shoulder, giving Inuyasha an inexplicable stab of jealousy. Not that it mattered who Kagome slept with, Inuyasha reminded himself. Besides, Shippō was a good deal younger than Kagome was so she couldn't possibly have been interested in him in "that way," anyway. Not that that mattered, either.

With a half-suppressed growl, the pale-haired hanyō pushed the thoughts aside. Kagome had made it abundantly clear that she wasn't about to allow him to set limits on her life. All it took was a well-placed "sit" and she would be off doing whatever it was that he didn't want her to do anyway, leaving Inuyasha to work the kinks out of his neck again. Absently, he reached up with his free hand and felt the beads of the rosary around his neck for perhaps the hundredth time since the day he'd been forced to wear it.

Abruptly, a series of sudden distant crashes, like the sound of giant steel blades tearing through wood, dispersed Inuyasha's thoughts as easily as paper on the wind. Sitting up as straight as he could on his lone branch, the dog-hanyō sniffed the air, his ears twitching continuously until the moment the sounds ceased. The first thing he smelled was dust and smoke, followed immediately by the coppery smell of blood, the all-too-familiar smell of death and a strange smell he didn't recognize. Last of all, however, and the one smell that raised the hairs on the back of his neck, was the stench of Naraku.

'_Damn_,' Inuyasha thought bleakly, _'I'd better go check.'_

Briefly, Inuyasha considered waking the others, quickly discarding the idea. Kagome often brought a lot of things with her and they generally took a while to reassemble. By the time she was ready, Naraku would probably be gone. His second option, to wake Miroku, was also quickly thrust aside. If he left the lecherous monk in charge of the camp, he would return to two very upset females. Sometimes the monk didn't know when to keep his hands to himself. After only a second's hesitation, he grasped Sango by the shoulders and gently shook her, jumping back a pace as the demon slayer's eyes snapped open, her hand immediately reaching for her _hiraikotsu, _the large, boomerang-shaped demon bone that served her as a weapon.

"Shh," Inuyasha whispered, squatting near her, "I heard something. Smells like Naraku."

"We'd better wake the…" Sango began.

"There's no time," interrupted Inuyasha curtly, "I'll go check it out myself. You guard the camp 'til I get back."

"All right," Sango agreed, shoving herself into a sitting position, "But don't go alone. Take Kirara."

In response to her name, the small double-tailed kitten leaped lightly from the demon slayer's side quickly changing into her battle form, that of a large saber-toothed tiger, when she was a safe distance away. With a single eloquent nod, Inuyasha took off at a run, the now enormous Kirara easily keeping pace at his side. As the smell became stronger, the dog-hanyō leaped into the air to get his bearings. Sure enough, there in the distance, grey against the dark blue of night, he could see a rising column of smoke. Needing no further incentive than that, Inuyasha poured on the speed, running as fast as his legs would carry him, with Kirara following only slightly slower.

Within fifteen minutes, Inuyasha had arrived at the source of the smells. Already, what few buildings there were had been effectively leveled. Several of the fallen timbers were burning, a blaze he guessed had probably started when the dry wood the buildings were made out of had come into contact with cooking fires burning inside. A few minutes' search brought Inuyasha at last to the place where the scent, or scents as it turned out, of Naraku was strongest. Inuyasha growled frustration as he realized that neither of them were purely Naraku. Of the two separate scents Inuyasha could find, one was like Naraku, except that it smelled strangely clean. That was Hakudoshi, youngest of Naraku's "children." The other was reminiscent of Naraku in a field of wildflowers with the wind blowing through them. That was Kagura, Naraku's second born, a highly independent-minded wind sorceress. Regrettably, neither one seemed to be in the vicinity.

"Damn it!" bellowed Inuyasha in frustration, "I wasn't fast enough!"

'_Ah well,'_ he sighed, _'I guess I better look around and see if I can figure out what they were after.'_

Turning, he noticed Kirara digging at one of the burning wrecks. It was obvious she had come to the same conclusion earlier than he had.

'_She's found something,'_ Inuyasha realized suddenly, noticing blue and pink fabric beneath a board Kirara pawed aside. The strange unrecognizable scent he'd noticed previously seemed to originate from there, along with the smell of spilled blood, but not the rot of death. Not waiting for an invitation, the dog-hanyō leaped in next to the huge cat and began impatiently yanking burning boards aside with both hands. Before long, a face had been uncovered, a female face surrounded by a mass of snow-white hair framing a pair of upswept, wing-like ears fringed with tiny, white feathers. In no time, Inuyasha had the female hanyō uncovered. A cursory examination of the girl revealed a number of nasty-looking bruises and a place at the back of her head that was stained with her blood. Otherwise, she seemed unhurt, which wasn't that much of a surprise, if she had demon blood in her.

Carefully, Inuyasha lifted the strange girl in his arms and carried her a few feet away, laying her down in the shade of a nearby willow tree before returning to sniff around the rest of the compound. After a relatively short search, he managed to find three other bodies, a man, a woman, and a child no older than two, all of whom smelled strongly of death.

'_Naraku. You bastard!" _Inuyasha thought bitterly,_ 'You'll pay for this, too! I promise you!'_ With that, he bent to the task of burying the bodies.

-------------------------

When Kagome awoke the next morning, she was surprised to find that a stranger clutching a tall, carved staff was sitting near the newly rekindled campfire. As she watched, Inuyasha landed in the camp carrying a double handful of rabbits, which he handed to Sango, as usual, for skinning and cleaning. Then he walked over and squatted nonchalantly next to the stranger.

"How's your head?" he asked roughly.

"Much better," the stranger replied cautiously, "Thank you."

"Feh," scoffed Inuyasha.

"And thank you again for rescuing me," the guest added softly.

"Feh," Inuyasha repeated, adding fiercely, "You're safer with us, anyway. Whatever Naraku wants with you, he'll have to fight his way through us first."

Curiosity fought viciously with jealousy until, finally, curiosity won out. Kagome yawned and stretched as obviously as possible without seeming too dramatic before sitting up in her sleeping bag. She wasn't altogether surprised to find that she was the last to wake up. In this day and age, the time to wake up was usually sunrise, whereas, back home, Kagome was more or less use to waking up to the ring of her alarm clock. What was surprising was that Miroku was sitting exactly across the fire from their visitor and sporting a nasty-looking shiner. Looking behind her, Kagome saw that the_ hiraikotsu_ boomerang hadn't moved from where Sango had left it the previous night.

"What a beautiful morning," Kagome sighed, unzipping the bag so she could climb out.

"It's about time you woke up," grouched Inuyasha, turning toward her.

"Well, look who got up on the wrong side of the tree this morning," Kagome teased.

"What do you know about it?" Inuyasha retorted, irritated.

"These are ready," Sango interrupted, glaring at the dog-hanyō as she handed him two of the dressed rabbits, now spitted and tied to a number of stout sticks. Carefully, Sango stuck her three into the dirt, leaning them slightly so that the top end of the stick tilted in the direction of the flames. Following her example, Inuyasha did the same with his two on the other side, creating a sort of ring of raw meat around the cheerful little blaze.

Shaking her head, Kagome turned to her backpack and began to search it for a set of clean clothes. Choosing a fresh set of underwear, her blue sweater, her light-blue mini-skirt, a pair of white ankle socks and her loafers, she selected a stand of bushes just the other side of Inuyasha's tree and disappeared into it to change out of her pajamas.

"Perhaps," she heard Miroku say smoothly with a distinct rustle of fabric, "I should go and make sure Lady Kagome remains safe."

"Oh no ya don't," Inuyasha objected loudly. At this she heard another rustle of fabric, followed by a loud thump, which let her know Inuyasha had put paid to the unprincipled monk's peeping plans. "Sango," the dog-hanyō added quietly, "you go." Kagome did her best to suppress a giggle. She was just slipping into her sweater when Sango appeared in the stand of bushes.

"Who's…" Kagome began, sliding quickly into her skirt and zipping it up in back.

"Our visitor?" Sango finished, smiling, "She calls herself Tenkei."

"Oracle, huh?" Kagome mused, "that's an interesting one. What's she doing here?"

"Well," Sango offered in serious tones, handing the younger girl her shoes and socks, "about two hours or so after sunset, Inuyasha heard a noise and smelled something like Naraku. When he returned, she was with him, unconscious. From what I understand, he found her in a wrecked farm house."

"What does Naraku want with her?" Kagome wondered, sitting down on a nearby rock to tug her socks on.

"Well, from what she's told us," Sango replied gravely, "Naraku wanted to learn the places he could find Kikyo. Apparently, she reprimanded him for it."

Completely dressed at last, Kagome smoothed her skirt and stood up, tapping the toes of her shoes against the hard turf to settle them more firmly into place.

"Come on," Sango added with a smile, "I will introduce you." Giggling, the two girls emerged from the bushes and headed back to the fire.

"Tenkei," the demon slayer began, "this is…"

"We have already met," Tenkei interrupted timidly, bowing, "Have we not, Lady Kikyo?" Instantly, Inuyasha's ears perked up. Tenkei put out a hand and, without thinking, Kagome took it.

"Oh," Tenkei gasped when Kagome's skin touched hers, "You are the reincarnated soul. I hope you will forgive me my error. Your souls are so alike."

"It's okay," Kagome smiled hesitantly, feeling more than a little awkward, "Everybody makes the same mistake. I'm used to it."

"You've met Kikyo?" Inuyasha interjected firmly, "Where?"

"I can not tell you that," the blind girl responded quietly, accepting a bamboo bottle of water from Sango, "It does not matter. You will not find her there. You need only know that she is…deciding something."

"Deciding what?" Inuyasha snapped.

"You must learn that answer from her," Tenkei replied decisively, sipping from the bamboo bottle before lifting it up for Sango to take. Reluctantly, Inuyasha subsided.

"How do you know about Kikyo?" Kagome asked, seating herself next to the stranger.

"I…met her only two days ago," Tenkei answered uncomfortably, "I had been injured after seeking shelter in a human village. They discovered my demon blood and decided to…to punish me."

"But how did you know that I'm Kikyo's reincarnation?" Kagome pressed.

"It is a gift I have possessed since birth," Tenkei responded with a shy smile, "The gift to peer into the souls of the living and see the paths of their fate."

"I have heard of such a gift," added the knowledgeable Miroku smoothly, "The ability to see into the future, also called the gift of the crane. It is said to be very rare."

"That it is," agreed Tenkei, "Among humans, it is only possessed by the eyes of the blind. Among my mother's people, the crane demons, it is much more common."

"You're a crane demon?" guessed Kagome, curious, as ever.

"My mother was a greater lord of the crane demons," Tenkei clarified hesitantly, "my father was human." Inuyasha nodded, his face seeming, if it was possible, all the more grim. Kagome remembered Inuyasha's own story, which was similar, if the other way around. "It is a long story," Tenkei added in quiet tones, clutching the staff that lay in her lap that much closer.

"A story?" Shippō grinned, dashing in front of her and placing his tiny hands on her knees, "Could you please tell it? I love stories. I can even draw pictures for you, if you want me to."

"That will not be necessary," Tenkei chuckled, "But if you wish, I will tell it to you as it was told to me." Grinning, Shippō climbed into the newcomer's lap and curled up there. Each of the others settled themselves in various positions around the fire.

"Long ago," Tenkei began when all was quiet, "there lived a sail weaver named Yasuko who lived on a hill near a town on the coast where there were many sailing ships with whom he could ply his trade. He was moderately well off, though unmarried and living by himself.

"One night there was a terrible storm and as Yasuko sat in his house listening to the sound of the rain, he heard another sound like a thump against his roof. That is not rain, he told himself and went to check. There, lying on the ground near to his house was an injured crane. It had broken a wing when the wind had blown it into Yasuko's house.

"Yasuko was a kind hearted man," Tenkei continued softly, "It hurt him to see any living thing in pain, so he took the injured crane into his home and cared for it until it was completely healed, whereupon he released it and it flew away."

"Wow," Kagome sighed, "What a nice guy."

"Are you implying something?" Inuyasha grated.

"Shh," Miroku interrupted, "Let her finish."

"Well," Tenkei went on, "Shortly after the crane left, Yasuko began to realize just how lonely he was, a thing he had never before supposed, and he began to wish for someone to keep him company. A few days later, there was a tapping at his door. When he opened it, he was surprised to find a beautiful woman standing upon his doorstep.

"When he asked her who she was, she told him she was called Tokutomo and that she wished to become his wife. Tokutomo was very beautiful to behold and, though he was uncertain how proper such an arrangement would be, he decided to allow her to stay with him in his house. Within a month, Yasuko knew that he loved the beautiful Tokutomo and soon afterward they were quietly married. After their marriage, they lived very happily for many months.

"However, fate, it seems had other plans for them and they soon fell on hard times. For, though Yasuko;s earnings were enough for him to live on by himself, with a wife, however, it was not enough. Soon they had nothing left.

"One day, Tokutomo offered to weave a magic sail that Yasuko could sell and bring home enough money for them to live on for many more months. The only condition was that there would be a screen before the weaving loom that Yasuko was forbidden to look behind so long as Tokutomo was weaving.

"Yasuko gave his word that he would not look behind the screen and, that noon, Tokutomo began to work. All that afternoon Yasuko could hear the loom working and, at nightfall, he went to bed alone, never allowing himself to wonder what his wife was doing behind the screen. The next morning, Yasuko awoke to find Tokutomo kneeling before him holding a piece of folded sailcloth, which she handed to him. As soon as his fingers touched it, Yasuko knew that, somehow, Tokutomo had woven the very winds into the sail. That day, as Tokutomo had asked, he went into town and sold the magical sail and brought back a small chest full of money, on which they could live well for a long time.

"However, for the next three days, Tokutomo was very ill and could not leave her bed. Yasuko spent many a sleepless night at her side. On the fourth day, however, she seemed fine and all was once again well. Still, fate had not finished with them. On the fifth day after Yasuko sold the magical sail, a rich captain came to his door. He had seen and touched the sail and watched its owner use it. He had even attempted to buy it, without success. Now, he had come to Yasuko to ask that he create another sail just like the first. If he would do so, the captain promised he would give Yasuko so much money that he and his wife would never need to worry about money for the rest of their natural lives. Without thinking, Yasuko agreed."

"Fool," Inuyasha exclaimed, his back to the fire.

"True," Tenkei agreed with a sigh, "That day, he mentioned the offer of the captain to Tokutomo. She pled with him not to ask such a thing of her, for the first had taken much from her and she had not, as yet, completely recovered. Nevertheless, Yasuko would not listen to her pleas and gave Tokutomo no rest until she had agreed.

"At noon that day, Tokutomo once again slipped behind the screen and, once again, the sound of the working loom filled the little house. Night came and went and still Yasuko could hear the loom working. Two more nights passed and still Tokutomo continued to work. Finally, Yasuko could bear it no longer."

"He looked?" gasped Shippō in disbelief..

"Yes," Tenkei responded, sadly, "He looked. He excused the breach of his word by his concern for his wife, who had taken no nourishment for two days and three nights. His true intention, however, was to learn the secret of weaving the magic sailcloth. So, he looked behind the screen. There, he saw, to his great surprise, the crane that he had found injured on his doorstep so long ago. With wings already ragged, it was tearing out feathers one by one and weaving them into the cloth on the loom. Yasuko realized then that his beautiful wife was actually a demon and gasped in shock. When the crane heard Yasuko gasp, it turned and Yasuko saw a single tear drop from its jewel bright eye before, with difficulty, it flew away, never to be seen by him again."

"I love that story," Kagome smiled, "My mom used to tell it to me when I was little."

"It took Tokutomo a month to completely recover from the ordeal she'd undergone, but she never got over Yasuko," Tenkei continued softly, "What Yasuko never knew, though, was that, when Tokutomo left, she was pregnant with his child. The day she rejoined her people, she laid an egg. In due time, from that egg, there hatched a half-human baby."

"You, right?" guessed Inuyasha, understanding in his eyes.

"Yes," Tenkei nodded, "For a hundred years of my life, I have lived with my mother. She cared for and protected me and fought the derision of our people. Unfortunately, about fifty years ago, a demon hunter carrying a powerful weapon challenged and slew my mother. Just before she died, she told me of a debt of honor, owed to her by another greater demon lord, a friend of hers whose life she had saved when they were both much younger. She told me the demon himself was slain about fifty years before I was born. However, he had been blessed with two sons. My mother made me swear to find one of these sons and call in the debt of his father in my mother's name."

"What were their names?" Sango asked, "Perhaps we can help."

"Their names," Tenkei answered meekly, "are Sesshomaru and Inuyasha."

Instantly, Inuyasha shot to his feet. "I am Inuyasha," he said, his back to the group, "What do you want from me?"

"_You_ are Inuyasha?" Tenkei gasped, her eyebrows lifting in pure shock, "Then it would seem you are no longer in my debt. I am in yours." So saying, she brushed Shippō from her lap and prostrated herself in Inuyasha's direction. At the sound, Inuyasha's ears twitched and he turned, a look of suspicious surprise on his face.

"What?" he blinked, backing away a step, "You're kidding, right?"

"Forgive me, Lord Inuyasha," Tenkei sighed, pushing herself back up to _seiza_ position, "I have been searching for you for fifty years. I had heard you were slain by a priestess. I am glad to have heard wrong. I would have sought your brother, Sesshomaru, but given all that I have heard about him, I admit that I doubted he would even hear me speak, let alone honor the debt."

"Yeah, well," Inuyasha admitted, "Sesshomaru ain't exactly a paragon of mercy."

"May I ask," said Miroku smoothly, sidling up next to Sango, "what payment you were going to ask for?"

"My mother told me," Tenkei answered timidly, "to ask you or your brother to guard and watch over me until I reach maturity." At that, Sango shrieked, a noise that made Tenkei jump nearly three feet. Looking at the older girl, Kagome saw that Miroku was, once again, stroking Sango's rear. Without waiting for an explanation, Sanko turned and slapped the offensive monk as hard as she could. "Uh," the thoroughly startled Tenkei asked, trembling visibly, "W-what just happened?"

"Never mind," Kagome assured her, placing a calming arm around her shoulders, "It happens all the time. Why did you say you're in Inuyasha's debt, though?"

"I would probably have died in that burning building," Tenkei explained, gripping her staff with both hands, "but Inuyasha not only rescued me, he tended my wounds and offered to feed and protect me before he was aware of who I was. Lord Inuyasha, before she died, my mother told me this would happen. So, I will stay with you until the debt is paid."

"Forget it," Inuyasha scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I can not, Lord Inuyasha," Tenkei insisted, "I _must_ pay this debt of honor. My mother said my life would depend upon it."

"Well, then," snarled the dog-hanyō, not backing down, "it's paid. Go home!"

"It is not as simple as that, Inuyasha," Miroku interjected, his left cheek beet red with the impression of Sango's handprint, "You can not just cancel the debt and walk away. It will only be paid when Tenkei's heart tells her so."

"What d'you know about it?" Inuyasha yelled.

"More than you do, obviously," the monk replied serenely, "Look, Inuyasha, she is alone and has run afoul of Naraku. Surely there would be no harm in allowing her to stay."

"She's blind, Miroku!" Inuyasha pointed out angrily, "She'll only slow us down. I don't know if you want to be the one to lead her around the next time a demon attacks us, but I don't."

"I promise you, Lord Inuyasha," Tenkei asserted, her face taking on a look of mild desperation, "I will not be a burden upon you. Blind or not, I have other powers besides the one I mentioned before. They have proven very effective until now."

"Fine!" Inuyasha snarled, dropping back into a sitting position with his back to the fire, "But I ain't leadin' you around, ya got that!"

"Don't worry, Tenkei," Shippō offered, leaping to her shoulder, "I'll be your eyes, if you want me to."

"Thank you," the pale-haired girl laughed.

"Let me be the first to welcome you to…" Miroku began slyly moving to her side.

"I have already warned you once, monk," Tenkei interrupted flatly, shoving him away with the butt of her staff, "I will not warn you again." Miroku's confident look immediately changed to one of nervousness.

"She warned him?" asked Kagome, guessing that the irrepressible monk had attempted his usual greeting with the pretty young crane hanyō, "How?"

"She told him," Sango smirked, leveling her gaze at the embarrassed monk, "that if he ever touched her without her leave, bad fortune would haunt the rest of his romantic life."

Unable to help herself, Kagome began to laugh.

"A true friend would not laugh," asserted the monk, with an injured expression.

Kagome only laughed harder.

"Go ahead, Monk. _Touch_ her," Sango urged sourly, "Maybe a little bad luck will make you honest."

"I would never do something so rude and insensitive," Miroku insisted, a virtuous look appearing on his face.

"Keh," grunted Inuyasha, "sure you wouldn't."

Still laughing, Kagome went to repack her things.

-------------------------

Naraku pulled himself carefully out of a pile of rocks at the bottom of the mountain his mountain top house had once been hidden on. Spitting out a number of stones, he followed them with a string of stinging expletives, all of which were directed at the filthy hanyō female he had sent Hakudoshi after. Immediately after she'd pronounced her curse, as she had promised, things had instantaneously begun to go wrong. First, Kanna's mirror had developed an inexplicable crack, which had lengthened with every word the wench spoke until, at last, when she'd thrown Hakudoshi through the building's door, the mirror had shattered, releasing all the souls that had been trapped within it in a glowing cascade of light and glass. The remains had fallen to the floor, irreparably ruined. Kanna had, of course, shown only mild surprise.

However, when Naraku had turned, he'd been utterly shocked to see a large shard of shining mirror lodged in the very center of the _fuyoheki_, the stone that concealed the demon aura of the Infant, making him reasonably easy to hide. The concealing stone was now pulsating dangerously in the hands of the startled-looking Infant, who had been laid carefully on the floor until such time as Naraku could find a better place to hide him. Without a second thought, Naraku had seized the stone and thrown it out the window, where it had exploded only a few seconds later.

Early this morning, however, he'd learned that the explosion had loosened a number of large rocks lodged just above the mountaintop house. Just before sunrise, they had given way, tumbling the flimsy house and its occupants to mountain's feet far below. Glancing back he saw Kanna climb out of the wreckage with the Infant in her grasp.

"Let me give _you_ a prediction, hanyō," Naraku growled under his breath, "When I find you, I will make you _suffer_ for this."

19


	3. The Ways of Fate

**Chapter 3: the Ways of Fate**

Sunset the following day found Inuyasha and his companions at a village and, as usual, Miroku had worked his customary chicanery on the house of the village's chieftain, the best in town. One shout of, "Evil omens hang over this house," and the chief had come stumbling out begging on hands and knees for the monk to stay the night and perform a purification ritual. Naturally, that meant the group got the finest room in the house and a banquet fit for a king, an entire set of kings. As a result, Inuyasha, his sense of honor offended, was more irritable than usual. Of course, the situation wasn't helped in the least when they learned the chieftain had a beautiful daughter. At that point, the lecherous monk had insisted that he should go and "comfort" the girl during these "troubled times," a comment that earned him a blow to the head from Sango's gigantic boomerang-shaped _hiraikotsu_.

"Jeez, Miroku," Inuyasha growled as the monk rubbed the new bump on his head, "Even you oughta know by now that you ain't gonna get anywhere with a girl by rubbin' her butt."

"Right, Inuyasha," Shippō sneered derisively, "like you're a master at the arts of romance." That gained the juvenile fox-demon a clout to his own head, this time from Inuyasha's fist.

"Sit, boy," Kagome commanded. Instantly, Inuyasha's face was slammed into the floorboards.

"Damn it!" howled Inuyasha, "Kagome!"

"Inuyasha," Kagome reproved, "he's just a kid."

"Yeah, Inuyasha," Shippō repeated from the safety of Kagome's shoulder, "I'm just a kid."

"That's it!" Inuyasha barked then, shoving himself to his feet and bounding out the window, never stopping until he reached the shores of a lake on the outskirts of town, where he flopped down cross-legged and began massaging the sore muscles of his neck and shoulders.

"Stupid girl," he muttered, furiously seizing a fist-sized rock and hurling it forcefully at the center of the lake. The rock flew out over the surface of the water to land precisely where it was aimed with a highly satisfying splash. What did she think he was made out of, anyway? Rock? Wood? Steel? Surely even steel wouldn't hold up under the pounding he received whenever Kagome chose to use the _kotodama_ keyword that activated the rosary around his neck. Mentally, he roundly cursed the day Kaede had stuck him with the thing.

Unlike other times, however, Inuyasha found that tonight he simply couldn't remain angry with Kagome for long. After all, even though at times she could be frighteningly ignorant about demons, other times she was terrifyingly brave, her courage surprising him more often than he cared to admit. For instance, there was the first moonless night that he and Kagome had spent together. Each half-demon had a time that their demon blood relaxed, rendering them temporarily human. Hanyōs like himself jealously guarded the information about such times, mainly because it was viewed as something of a weakness. During one such night, he'd stupidly allowed himself to be captured by a demon called a "spider-head" who'd filled his all-too-human body with a deadly poison. Any other person he'd met earlier would have run far and fast. Frankly, he'd expected the same of Kagome, had even hoped for it. But she hadn't, not even when he'd told her flat out to run away. No, she'd run _to_ him, climbing the legs of the spider-head that held him captive and launching herself at him with tears in her eyes. Real tears! Tears Kagome had told him later were because she was afraid he would die. It was the first time that anyone other than his mother had shed tears for his sake. Even Kikyo had never cried for him. He doubted if she'd ever allowed herself to cry.

In fact, Kagome was often brave at times that normal people were cowardly. For a girl who, until the day the two of them had met, hadn't killed anything more dangerous than a mosquito, she was already braver than anyone else he'd ever met before, including the other members of his team. Not only that, but she inspired even the most cowardly to feats of courage they might never have considered before they knew her. Interestingly enough, she seemed at her most courageous when the danger came from within Inuyasha himself. That, in and of itself, was frightening to Inuyasha, mainly because when he was most dangerous it was because his demon side had overwhelmed him, turning him into a crazed, bloodthirsty beast. Inuyasha continuously lived in fear that Kagome's courage at such times would get her killed and that he would have to live with the smell of her blood on his claws for the remainder of his likely-to-be-very-long life.

Nevertheless, the few times that had happened to him, Kagome always seemed to be there when he needed her the most. The first couple of times the transformation had taken place, Kagome had brought back his reason by activating the rosary around his neck. Those were a few of the times he'd been grateful to be wearing the thing, even though he'd cursed Kagome loudly each time. The third time it had been Sesshomaru that had beaten the sense back into him. That time, he'd fully expected her to be afraid of him. Instead, she'd been understanding and supportive, never leaving his side for the entire night. Later, he learned, to his horror, that she'd actually placed herself between Sesshomaru and himself when Inuyasha finally lost consciousness, preventing his older brother from taking his life.

More recently, there was the incident that had occurred in the Castle Beyond the Looking Glass, where, with Kagome effectively bound beyond his reach, the demoness Kaguya had used her mirror to draw away his human side. For the first time in his relatively short life he'd fought the transformation with everything he had, but, somehow, the wench's spell still managed to drag away his sanity. This transformation had been terribly painful, mainly by virtue of how hard he was fighting it. Somewhere in the middle of it all, Miroku had stepped between him and Kaguya, imploring him to remember his friends rather than selling his soul to the demon witch. He'd fought hard to obey his friend, but his demon side, stronger now, had reacted first, cruelly slashing the mortal monk aside. The painful transformation continued and the image reflected in the mirror Kaguya held, at one time completely demonic, now began to assume more attributes of his human side. At that moment, Inuyasha had wanted to cry with frustration, knowing that inevitably, Kaguya would steal all of his sanity and set him howling against his helpless friends.

And then, somehow, Kagome was there, clasping his _haori_ in her slender hands, her presence strengthening him by some means he still didn't fully understand. Kaguya, frustrated by Kagome's evident interference, had used her magic to increase the power emanating from the mirror, which, in turn, increased the pain as, once more, his sanity continued to dribble slowly away. His mind became filled with confusing images and a chillingly strong desire for blood, he'd felt himself grasp Kagome by the arms as if from very far away, heard her gasp and knew that his grip must be painfully tight. Somewhere in his head, he heard Kaguya demand that he give her the girl's body, felt the demon side of him begin to respond, shrieked denial and fought even harder, the last of his strength beginning to ebb even as he did so. Then he'd felt something he'd never expected, not in the entire hundred and fifty years of his life: the feel of Kagome kissing his lower lip. Just the shock of knowing that, of all people, _Kagome_ was _kissing_ him not only increased his ability to fight Kaguya's mirror but also completely paralyzed his demon side. The outcome was that Inuyasha's sanity returned to him in a glorious flood, cracking Kaguya's mirror with the sheer speed of the transfer, and suddenly he was kissing Kagome back, reveling in the overpowering scent of her, the feel of her body clasped gently against his, of her soft lips against his and then just her slender form in his arms as he hugged her in sheer relief that the torturous ordeal was finally over. He'd never forget that moment, not even if he lived to be a thousand years old.

The most recent incident had happened not two months ago. Naraku had managed to trick them into searching for him in the belly of an enormous stone demon than had used the almost complete and entirely corrupt Shikon Jewel to bring the hulking brute to life, trapping the group of them in a pool of acid so strong it could melt bone in a single minute. Inuyasha had attempted to use his new _kongosoha _"Diamond Spear Wave" attack to blast his way out, but the demon, strengthened by the corrupted gem, was far too tough and the diamond spears, each at least three feet in length, were about as effective as a handful of splinters. Miroku, disabled by an infusion of demon bee venom absorbed through his wind tunnel, had passed out right about then, leaving the little group completely unprotected from the acid dripping from the walls and ceiling.

It was then that Inuyasha had hit on an idea. Naraku had strengthened the stone demon using the Shikon Jewel. Perhaps he could do the same to his sword. Throwing his _haori_ over his friends like a miniature tent, he'd taken the shard and thrown it against _tetsusaiga_. Abruptly, he'd felt a kind of evil energy flowing into him through the handle of his sword, felt himself beginning to change, where once the sword would have prevented such a thing, and knew somehow that the shard he'd attached to the gigantic sword was becoming corrupted and passing that corruption on to him via the sword. He'd forgotten that the gem wouldn't stay pure without Kagome's help. From very far away, he'd felt himself turn, knowing that he was about to destroy his friends.

But, once again, Kagome had saved him, at great risk to her own life. Tossing the protective _haori_ off of her head, she'd dashed into the pool of acid, throwing her arms around his body in a desperate embrace. Moments later, there was an important change. Though the power flowing through him never changed and he could still feel the demon side of him stronger than ever, the important thing was that he, Inuyasha, was completely sane. He knew, without knowing how he knew, that Kagome had purified his demon side; that she had strengthened his human side, somehow, so that he could handle the power flowing to him from his demon side. She'd asked him if he was all right, then, and, not knowing how to tell her that, thanks to her, he was better than all right, he'd asked her to support him just a little longer. She'd agreed unhesitatingly, grasping his chest from behind and holding on for all she was worth.

After that, he'd successfully used the _kongosoha_ attack to blow a twenty-foot hole in the wall, effectively killing the demon and saving his friends a slow and, likely, very painful death. But when he turned in triumph to Kagome, she'd collapsed into his arms. He'd been absolutely sure that she'd given her life for him that time. Miroku had assured him that Kagome was only sleeping, unconscious, but it hadn't helped. Back at the village that had, effectively, become their home, Kagome had eventually come to and Kaede had bandaged her tortured feet for her. Still, Inuyasha had felt more than a little guilty because, while he was creating an exit for himself and his friends, Kagome's shoes, made of soft leather and her socks, softer cotton, had melted, leaving her feet a raw and ugly red color to the ankles. However, when he'd tried to apologize to her for losing control, she had astonished him again when she told him she was happy just to be with him.

Since Kagome now needed new shoes anyway, Inuyasha hadn't waited to be asked, but had taken the girl right home himself, never letting the girl stand on her injured feet for more than a few seconds at a time. Kagome's mother had given her feet a cursory look and had insisted on a "hospital" visit. Once there, Kagome had received something called "skin grafts." Kagome's mother explained that this meant a person that had recently died had agreed to give his still-living body parts to people like Kagome who needed them. Kagome had been in the hospital for a week and each night before Inuyasha went to see her, he'd said a quiet prayer at the Higurashi shrine for the soul of the person whose skin the healers at the "hospital" had used to help Kagome.

After a week, Kagome's healers had sent her home where she was visited often by her friends at school, who brought her schoolwork to her every day, leaving later with her completed assignments. During that time, Kagome's mother had gone to the shoe store for a new pair of loafers and each week, Inuyasha had brought Kagome carefully back through the well for a visit with her friends in the feudal era. He'd stubbornly refused to let her so much as stick her toes in the bathtub until she'd reported, a month and a half later, that her healers had said she could walk on her feet again.

"Stupid girl," Inuyasha whispered with a sigh, shaking his head in wonder, "Why do you stay with me?"

"Love?" suggested a soft voice from behind him.

Inuyasha didn't bother to turn. His sensitive nose had already told him a while ago that Tenkei was approaching him from the direction of the village. "It ain't wise to try an' sneak up on me," he warned anyway, as the blind hanyō seated herself on the ground a little to his left.

"That was never my intention, Lord Inuyasha," Tenkei assured him quietly, laying her staff in her lap, "I am…unused to sleeping in the company of others. That is all."

"I…" Inuyasha hesitated, "I know what ya mean." Silence reigned over the peaceful lake for several seconds. A fish leaped agilely from the water before falling back in with a little splash. "So," he began, turning toward the newest member of his little family, "Tell me where I can find Naraku."

"What?" Tenkei responded, taken aback.

"Use your powers," Inuyasha growled, irritated to have to repeat himself, "and tell me where Naraku is."

"I can not," the girl protested gently, toying with her staff with long, delicate fingers, "My eyes only see that which is given them to see. That is not one of those things."

"Then tell me when he'll strike next," the dog-hanyo suggested, frustrated.

"I can _not_," Tenkei insisted, more loudly this time, "The power does not work in that way."

"Then what good is it?" Inuyasha barked, furious now.

Silence descended between the two of them again. An owl hooted from the security of a nearby tree. Finally, Tenkei cleared her throat, turning slightly in his direction. Inuyasha found it more than a little disturbing to have those strange-looking blue eyes regarding him without actually seeing him.

"Perhaps," she began soothingly, "it would help if I told you how the power does work. Then, Lord Inuyasha, you will have the power to ask me questions that I will be able to answer."

Inuyasha nodded, studiously examining the fish-ripples in the lake before him.

"Very well," Tenkei smiled shyly, her voice taking on a kind of teaching tone, "What do you know about fate? How do you understand it?"

"Destiny," Inuyasha shrugged, "What's suppose to happen to you."

"Very good," Tenkei replied, turning away from him again, "but fate is a much more complex thing than that." She settled herself comfortably before continuing, "Fate is made up of many choices. Most of these choices are personal. You make them yourself. Of this kind of choices, there are two types: simple or yin choices and complex or yang choices. A yin choice would be one that requires little or no thought beforehand."

"Like if I knew a way to kill Naraku in one stroke," Inuyasha suggested bleakly.

"What would you do, in that instance?" Tenkei asked.

"I'd take it," Inuyasha responded, fiercely punching his palm for emphasis.

"Then that is an excellent example, Lord Inuyasha," Tenkei smiled, "But suppose Naraku captured one of your friends and held them under the threat of death, if you made use of this 'way'?"

"Well, then," Inuyasha answered without hesitation, "I'd have to come up with a way to rescue my friend before I used it."

"A decision that would require some amount of consideration," added the crane-hanyō placidly, "That is an example of a yang choice. What is important to know is that both yin and yang choices flow very much from who you are, your character. However, they also flow back _to_ your character."

"So every choice I make," Inuyasha guessed, "determines my future?"

"Precisely," Tenkei nodded, "much of your fate is decided in this way. However, these are not the only kinds of choices that determine your fate, nor do your choices determine only_ your_ fate."

"What?" the dog-hanyō grimaced.

"Let me try another way," suggested the girl beside him, "pick up a rock, throw it into the water and tell me what you see."

Shrugging, Inuyasha selected a small stone and threw it in. "Ripples," he noted, watching.

"Thus it is with choices," Tenkei explained, "every choice that we make affects every person we touch and all their choices affect us in return."

'_Like when Naraku chose to deceive Kikyo and me,' _Inuyasha thought grimly.

"Finally, our fates are further determined," the blind girl continued, "by events in our lives."

"Events?" Inuyasha repeated, confused.

"Yes," Tenkei replied, "things that happen without a choice. If it helps, you may choose to think of it as the choice of the gods or of nature. It is often referred to as 'luck' since, from time to time, when events take place they do so to our benefit, which is known as 'good luck', or to our detriment, called 'bad luck'. However, it all goes back to our personal choice, since we always choose for ourselves how things will affect us."

"So, then," Inuyasha griped, "what's all this garbage got to do with your power to see the future."

"The future is only a part of what I see, Lord Inuyasha," Tenkei disagreed, "When I touch a person, if I choose, I can see the paths their choices have made and the ones they have yet to make. Each person creates his or her own fate. As such, while the paths of the future are continuously changing, the paths of the past are well established. It is my gift to be able to gaze both up and down these paths and see where the major choices are at and how the lives of others may intersect with them. Do you see?"

"I think so," hazarded the dog-hanyō warily.

"It is possible that what you require is an example of how this power operates," Tenkei suggested timidly, "Recently, I have looked down the paths of two people that you know: Kikyo and Naraku. I saw your fate intersecting with both their paths. Which do you wish to know about?"

Inuyasha thought earnestly about it. _Both_ of the choices Tenkei had given him were people he wanted to know about.

"Tell me about Kikyo," he said, finally.

"Very well," Tenkei said, closing her eyes, "I have placed before Kikyo a very difficult choice. Before she makes this choice, she will seek you out. However, be aware that no word that you speak will sway her in one direction or the other."

"When…" Inuyasha began.

"I have already told you," Tenkei interrupted softly, opening her eyes imploringly, "I do not see the when or the where. I see only the what, the why, and the how."

"Well, then what's the choice she's making," Inuyasha asked.

"I can not tell you that either, Lord Inuyasha," the blind hanyō replied softly, shaking her head, "It is Kikyo's to tell, not mine. Should I tell you, it might change the nature of her decision. In addition to that, an enemy of Kikyo's may be listening as we speak. I liked Kikyo. She helped me when I was hurt and alone. Tell me, Inuyasha, what would you do in my place? Would you have me risk placing her life in jeopardy simply to prove myself to you?"

'_I'd die first,'_ Inuyasha thought bleakly, adding, aloud, "I gotta go think."

Tenkei nodded, not moving as Inuyasha got to his feet and walked away into the gathering darkness.

-------------------------

"Kagura," Naraku crooned, a tone that never failed to make the wind sorceress feel uncomfortable, "Hakudoshi tells me that your actions of late merit some reward."

The previous day had been spent in the search for a new hiding place. Three times, they had found likely places, but each time, shortly after they had set foot in or near the buildings, some natural disaster had forced them to leave again.

The first one had been a castle on the coast. Naraku had been counting on the smell of fish, seaweed and other sea smells to cloak his scent that the two dog-demon brothers could so easily detect. A freak storm and a stray lightning bolt had set the castle on fire with in a few minutes of Naraku's residence in the place. It had rained steadily all the rest of that day.

The second place had also been a castle. This one, however, had been abandoned for some time and was badly run down. Naraku's hope here had been that his enemies wouldn't think to look there. However, moments after they'd entered the building, a mudslide, probably triggered by the incessant rain, had rushed in and completely demolished it. They'd spent hours extracting themselves from that one.

The third had actually been a military outpost. Naraku had wanted it or the series of tunnels and passages built beneath it. That one had lasted fully half an hour or so before instabilities in the buried tunnels had caused the entire floor to collapse, taking all the buildings and their would be inhabitants with it.

Finally, desperate and unwilling to admit it, Naraku had settled on an abandoned hermitage built on a ledge halfway up a cliff. It was far from the luxury Naraku had come to enjoy. In fact, the building was little more than a hut. Naraku had chosen it for the simple reason that the location was stable and protected from the elements.

When no disaster immediately took place, Kanna had been sent away during the night to find a safe place to hide the Infant. Hakudoshi, the only one of Naraku's extensions with an active link to his mind, had been sent with her to report the location, when one was finally found. Where that eventually turned out to be didn't really matter as long as it was inaccessible to Naraku's enemies and far from Naraku himself.

"Tell me, Kagura," the demon continued in that same dangerously seductive tone, "What reward do you desire?"

'_What is he up to?'_ Kagura thought, her nerves now completely on edge.

"My freedom," she said aloud, "Set me free!"

"Very well, Kagura," Naraku smiled, which did nothing to still the suspicions of the wind sorceress, "Be free." The demon opened his hand in her direction and suddenly she felt movement in her once hollow chest.

'_My heart,'_ Kagura gasped, placing her free hand over the new movement; not missing the way Naraku's smile broadened.

Suddenly she saw a flicker of not entirely unexpected movement behind her. Instantly, she dodged toward the door, nimbly dancing around the various tentacles as they darted at her. At the door, she quickly snatched a feather from her hair and tossed it in the air, nimbly leaping into its now expanded width.

"Thank you for my freedom, Naraku," Kagura cooed down, matching her one time master tone for tone and smile for smile, "I do hope we meet again, someday. At your funeral." With this, the wind sorceress unleashed the Dance of the Dragon on the little hut, leveling it to the ground and flying away as fast as her wind would carry her.

A few minutes later, a completely healed and utterly furious Naraku emerged from the wreckage of the old hermitage.

"Damn!" he snarled between clenched teeth as he watched the feather, now impossibly small, float farther and farther out of his reach.

26


	4. Kikyo's Decision

**Chapter 4: Kikyo's Decision**

Miroku was certainly enjoying the view, walking at the back of the group as they traveled between villages. At the head of the line, as usual, were Inuyasha and the charming Kagome. Kagome's usual conspicuously short kimono made her a delight to watch from any position, even the very back of the group. Next in line was Sango, who carried Kirara in one arm and the _hiraikotsu_ over her shoulder in her usual way. Miroku especially enjoyed the way her usual kimono hugged her muscular body and the effortless way in which she moved. There were other reasons why he liked Sango, but only a few of them had anything to do with the way she looked, which was all he was interested in right at this moment.

Last of all walked the beautiful Tenkei with Shippō perched like an oversized bird on her shoulder. Since Tenkei was new to the group, and since he had only managed a passing feel of her temptingly firm derriere, it was good to be directly behind her so that he could imagine what the rest of her doubtless lovely body felt like. There was a stab of guilt as he thought this, knowing that should the attractive Sango discover the direction his thoughts were taking, he would certainly suffer for it. At the very least, he would have to endure one of her intensely cold stares. In fact, until Sango, such a stare wouldn't have made any difference to him. That cold fact alone was something of a worry, but he did his best to live his life in spite of it, difficult as that was lately. It was because of this that he'd chosen to walk at the rear of the group today, looking for an opportunity to "explore" Tenkei a little further.

It was just as he was thinking this that Shippō let out a little sigh. As long as they'd been traveling together, he'd come to know the little fox's moods pretty well. Opportunity had, it seemed, struck at last.

"You look tired, Shippō," the monk said, stepping up next to the pair. "Why don't you go rest in Kagome's metal cart?"

"Thanks, Miroku," the young kitsune yawned sleepily, sliding down Tenkei's shoulder and bouncing forward to land with a crash in Kagome's bicycle basket. "Tenkei," Miroku smiled, when he was alone with the girl, "Will you take my arm?" Sango shot a suspicious look over one shoulder, but said nothing.

"What are you attempting, monk?" Tenkei responded hesitantly.

"Must I always be attempting something?" the monk crooned soothingly.

"I have been told so," Teneki smiled shyly, extending a hand in his direction. Gently, Miroku took the hand and placed it in the crook of his elbow, leaving his own spare hand resting on hers. Immediately, Tenkei's brow furrowed, her eyes beginning to glow with a strange blue light.

"What is the matter?" chuckled the monk softly, "Do you see something frightening in my future?"

"No," Tenkei responded sadly, her voice echoing slightly, "your past."

"What?" exclaimed Miroku, taken aback.

"I see a man being sucked into a windy hole in his hand," the crane-hanyō breathed, "and a boy being held back by a fat monk."

"How old is the boy?' whispered Miroku, suddenly serious.

"Five or six," Tenkei responded, a tear dripping from her blankly staring eyes.

"That is the day my father died," the monk frowned, as Tenkei's eyes returned to normal. "How can you see that?"

"That talent," Tenkei informed him, "works best by skin-to-skin contact."

Instantly, Miroku jerked his hand away from the blind seeress' resting in the crook of his arm. Silence stood between them for a while until, eventually, Tenkei let out a little sigh.

"Would you like to tell me what has you so sad," Miroku asked smoothly.

"It is nothing," she whispered.

"I think not," the monk disagreed, "I think you are sad because, after searching for Inuyasha for so long, finding him has reminded you painfully of something you would just as soon forget; the death of your mother, perhaps?"

"How do you know that?" gasped Tenkei uncertainly, "Can you read minds?"

"No," Miroku laughed, "I just have a talent for understanding people and your situation is not unusual in the least."

"Truly?" the crane-hanyō responded uncertainly.

"Yes," the monk nodded, "Here, feel my hand. What do you feel there?" He extended his right hand toward her. Lifting her right hand from Miroku's arm, she placed it gently in the center of his extended palm, over the fabric covering it, her fingers questing there briefly.

"There is a hole," she whispered, allowing the monk to replace her hand in the crook of his arm again.

"Indeed," agreed Miroku, "It is the same as they 'windy hole' you saw in my father's hand. Naraku cursed my grandfather and his entire line with it. As long as the demon, Naraku, lives, each year it will grow bigger until, one day it will consume me, just as it did my father. As long as Naraku lives, it will do the same to any descendants of mine until one of us defeats him or my line ends. The 'wind tunnel' as my father called it, has proven to be a useful weapon to me, but every time I make use of it I am reminded painfully of the death of my father."

"Why do you continue to fight, then, if the use of this 'wind tunnel' is painful to you?" Tenkei asked, puzzled.

"Because I must," declared Miroku in serious tones.

"What of the others?" Tenkei asked softly, "Do they also remember painful moments?"

"They do," Miroku assured her, "Sango remembers the day her little brother slew her family and friends under the influence of Naraku. Shippō remembers the death of his feather at the hands of a pair of demons calling themselves the Thunder Brothers. Like you, Inuyasha remembers the death of his mother, save that _his _mother was human."

"And what of Kagome?" Tenkei asked, when Miroku became silent. "What painful memory does she remember?"

"Kagome is a very complicated person," the monk responded, his brows furrowing, "but I believe the most painful memories she carries have to do with every moment she has seen Inuyasha with the lady Kikyo. I believe she is very brave to continue to travel with him."

"She must love him a great deal," sighed Tenkei.

"More than likely," Miroku agreed.

"So tell me then, monk," Tenkei asked then, "What will you do if you if you live to see Naraku dead and the hole in your hand removed?"

"I suppose I will forsake the cloth," answered the monk quietly, "become a simple farmer, marry and father a few children."

Tenkei chuckled. "No," she smiled. "I did not see that for you."

"Oh?" Miroku responded in surprise, "What then _did_ you see?"

"I saw," sighed Tenkei, "a little shrine built in a place where demon-slayers once lived with you as the attending priest. However, I _did_ see you married and with many children."

"You did?" gasped Miroku, "to whom?"

"You already know to whom," Tenkei responded with a gentle smile. "You have spoken with her about it already, have you not?"

"Oh," Miroku flushed. "Yes."

"Yes?" Sango asked, suspicion written in every line of her face as she turned abruptly. "Who?"

"I believe," Tenkei answered shyly, "that I will allow _you_ to answer her."

"Surely,"stammered the monk nervously, "you would not leave me to handle this alone."

Tenkei carefully removed her hand from Miroku's arm. "You forget too quickly, monk. Your bare fingers touched my hand and, because of this, I was able to look down the paths of your fate, past and future. I know what your intentions were. How fortunate for you that you remembered my threat." So saying, she walked forward, feeling the road ahead with her staff, which glowed slightly until she reached the front of the group with Inuyasha and Kagome.

_'How strange,' _thought Miroku, noticing the glow.

"Well, monk?" demanded Sango coldly.

-------------------------

Kagura peered cautiously from the mouth of the cave she'd chosen after fleeing Naraku. She hadn't even attempted to find herself any kind of a castle or even any luxury at all. In fact, the cave she'd picked smelled foully of bird dung. She could bet that the curse Naraku had been talking about constantly for the past couple of days was still in effect on herself. After all, even though she'd left his service, she was still Naraku's incarnation. Like it or not, there was a good chance she was cursed as well. She knew she had only one chance to break the curse, assuming some of the things that Naraku had said in her presence were true. She had to get some shards of her own and give them to Kagome with the hope that such a small act would be enough. The trouble with that was that Naraku had most of the shards. There were only three shards remaining ; three shards effectively unclaimed by Naraku the deceiver. One was embedded in the back of the boy slayer Kohaku, the brother of Kagome's associate, Sango. The other two were set into the legs of the wolf-demon known as Koga.

It was these that Kagura had her designs on, even though she was well aware that she was putting her own life in danger. After what she'd done to his tribes folk, Koga had vowed to slay her with his own hands and, after her, Naraku. Certainly, Naraku would be aware of her desire to thwart the curse for her own sake rather than his. Hopefully, she could beat Koga, take his shards and be gone before Naraku could get there.

Since morning, a light breeze had been pouring steadily from the mouth of the cave, courtesy of Kagura's wind control powers. By standing at the mouth of the cave, Kagura hoped that her scent would draw the wolf-demon right to her doorstep. For her part, she'd removed the first two layers of her kimono. She was going to need as much mobility as possible to carry out her plan.

Sure enough, down below, there appeared a miniature whirlwind, moving steadily towards Kagura with a speed that was positively blinding. Shutting the fan, Kagura effectively cut off the wind flowing from the cave even as she stepped from its safety.

"Kagura!" the wolf-demon, "At last the day of my vengeance has come."

"Why hello, Koga," Kagura purred, flirting her fan before her face, "so you've found me at last. Imagine that."

"Pray to whatever gods you believe in Kagura!" Koga growled, stopping about ten yards from the place Kagura was standing, "Today is the day you die!"

"Go ahead and try, wolf-boy," Kagura cooed, opening her fan, "Dance of Blades!" With that she swept her fan across her body sending a volley of glowing blades made from pure biting wind sailing toward her attacker. Koga dodged in a burst of pure unadulterated speed.

_'That's it, wolf-boy,'_ Kagura thought, sending another volley after her speedy opponent, _'Keep coming.'_

"Think you can keep me away with all your tricks, wind sorceress?" Koga declared, darting past the rapidly falling wind-blades, "I only need to get close once!" Suddenly, he was only two feet away. With a growl he lunged in with a punch aimed at Kagura's head, designed to literally incapacitate its victim. At the last second, Kagura closed the steel fan, taking a deep step that allowed her to duck beneath the wolf-demon's punch. As she did so, she sliced the blade of the fan across the fronts of Koga's lower legs. Immediately, blood began to flow as the two shards flew from the wolf-demon's legs. Reaching out, Kagura siezed them in her free hand. Koga, for his part, flew past her and collapsed in pain.

"Koga," Kagura frowned, "I'm sorry, but I need these more than you do?"

"Kagura," she heard someone say. A familiar voice from behind her.

_'Naraku! Damn!" _Kagura thought, tearing a feather from her hair and tossing it into the air. A second later she was rising on its gigantic breadth.

"You won't get away so easily this time, Kagura," Naraku growled, pointing a finger at her that lanced out like an arrow, piercing the right side of her upper back.

"Run, Kagura," she heard Naraku croon then, "If the poison I've placed in your shoulder does not kill you, the blood flowing into your lungs will."

_'Damn,'_ Kagura thought, coughing a blood clot onto the pristine white fibers of the giant feather, _'He's not lying. I _do_ feel weaker. I _have_ to find Inuyasha. That Kagome person is always with him.'_

Kagura sailed on, losing complete track of time. She began to feel as though she had been sailing on her feather forever until, finally, she saw a speck of white on red.

_'Inuyasha. What luck,'_ Kagura breathed to herself, angling the feather so that it would swirl downward. As it reached the ground, she tumbled off weakly, the feather returning immediately to its original size and floating unnoticed to the ground.

"Kagome," Kagura breathed weakly, holding the shards up in her hand, "take these shards, please."

"What?" Kagome gasped, receiving the shards into shrinking fingers.

"Please," choked the dying wind sorceress, "Forgive me. I swear I'll never use or seek a single shard of the Shikon Jewel again as long as I live. Please."

"But..." Kagome stammered.

"Are they real?"Inuyasha snapped, peeking over one of the girl's shoulders.

"Um," Kagome gasped, "yes."

"What will you do, Kagome," Tenkei asked in a calm, quiet voice, "Will you forgive her?"

"What?" Kagome blinked.

"Forget it!" Inuyasha barked.

"Of course," Kagome responded then.

"What!" the dog-hanyō shouted, surprised.

"Thank you," Kagura coughed, feeling very much like someone heavy was standing on her chest.

"What was that all about?" groused Inuyasha.

"She is seeking to lift the Curse of the Hand of Fate," Tenkei murmured timidly, "the curse I laid on Naraku and all his offspring, the night that we met."

"The Hand of Fate?" Shippō frowned, "That's the greatest curse of the Crane tribe."

"Correct," the crane-hanyō nodded, "The only way it can be broken is to give up the thing you desire most for the remainder of your life."

Suddenly, Inuyasha's head came up, his nose twitching.

"What?" Kagome gasped.

"Sesshomaru," growled the dog-hanyō.

As if on cue, the tall, pale-haired demon walked out of the nearby woods. He paced forward with a grace that only a great and noble demon could possess.

"Kagura," the aristocratic assassin commented.

"Sesshomaru," the wounded sorceress whispered, "Did you come here to watch me die?"

"No," the tall demon replied.

"Then what _did_ ya come here for?" Inuyasha demanded.

Sesshomaru answered his brother with a look of pure disdain before drawing the Tenseiga, brother sword to Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga and, like that sword, his inheritance made from a fang from his father's mouth. The difference between the two swords, though, was that Tetsusaiga was a killing sword and Tenseiga was a healing sword. It was a paradox, Kagura was aware that the virtually merciless owner of Tenseiga had labored over for months at a time. Her vision blurring, Kagura couldn't be sure but she thought she saw Sesshomaru's eyes narrow just a little bit. Suddenly, the blade swished through the air, slicing the space just inches above Kagura's body.

Instantly, Kagura felt twenty times lighter. Her breath was coming with greater strength and confidence than it had. There was no longer any weakness or desire to cough. She sat up, relieved to feel no pain. Looking over her shoulder, she noticed, with some amount of dismay, that her rescuer was already walking away.

"Sesshomaru," Kagura called, "wait!"

The aristocratic demon stopped, looking back in-curiously over his left shoulder.

"Take me with you!" Kagura pled.

"Do what you wish," Sesshomaru replied emotionlessly, turning away and, to her considerable consternation, walking into the tree-line from which he'd emerged.

"That's as close to 'yes' as you're gonna get from him," Inuyasha remarked, handing her the forgotten feather. Without a word, she seized it, stuffing it quickly into her hair as she took off at a run in the same direction Sesshomaru had disappeared in.

-------------------------

It was night. Eight hours had passed since Kagura had presented Kagome with Koga's jewel shards. The rest of the group had gone to bed, but Inuyasha had found it difficult to sleep. Since they had made camp outdoors rather than seeking out a human settlement, he was seated at the foot of a tree, for a change, near Kagome's head. He'd started out the night at the top of the tree, of course, far away from the fools in his group and all their notions of right and wrong. However, shortly after everyone had gone to sleep, he'd jumped from the tree and seated himself by Kagome's head, watching her as she slept. He was absolutely captured by the look of pure peace in the girl's face as he watched her.

_'Strange girl,'_ he thought absently, _'Why do you stay with_ me

Looking at her like this, sitting this close to her, drenched in her scent, Inuyasha longed to touch the girl's face, but was afraid to do so for fear that she would awake and wonder why he was looking at her the way he was. Shaking his head, he gazed off into the night instead, replaying the events of the day in his mind for perhaps the tenth time.

They'd been walking along, quite literally looking for trouble, when Kagura had, just as literally, fallen out of the sky at Kagome's feet handing her two sacred jewel shards and begging, really, for Kagome's forgiveness. Inuyasha hadn't believed it for a second. He'd thought it was some kind of trap, even when he'd seen Kagura cough up a gout of blood right before his brother emerged from the woods and saved her with his Tenseiga. That was when he'd stopped distrusting her. After all, Sesshomaru had no love of Naraku, either.

After that, he'd been certain that he and his friends would continue to search for Naraku, but Kagome had surprised him by insisting that they had to find Koga, the only shard owner besides Naraku that had more than one shard, and ask if he wanted them back. Inuyasha had flat refused that. Why should they have to give back the shards? It wasn't as if _they'd _stolen them after all. Inuyasha had been sure he was right to want to keep them.

He'd been shocked when none of the other members of his group agreed with him. Miroku remarked that the shards were safer in several places rather than just in one admittedly easy to find one. Sango insisted that Koga might need the shards to maintain his place as leader of his tribe. Even Shippō commented that he thought Inuyasha was being incredibly selfish to want to keep all the shards for himself. He was sure that, if she could talk, even Kirara would have had reasons to want to return the shards. Grudgingly, he'd finally agreed to return the shards and hadn't been surprised when, nearly half an hour later, they found the wimpy wolf and his two wolf-demon buddies headed in their direction just as fast as they could run, which, considering they were without shards, really wasn't that fast.

"Kagome, what are you doing here?" Koga asked, seeming to miss Inuyasha completely, even though he was carrying the girl.

"Kagura gave us your jewel shards," Kagome replied, climbing down, "We came to bring them back."

"What?" Koga frowned, "Why?"

"Well," Kagome stammered, holding the two shards out in her hand, "Because they belong to you and... and it's right to return them, isn't it?"

"Is that the only reason?" Koga asked, his face taking on a hopeful expression.

"Well," Kagome responded uncomfortably, "Yes."

"Keep them," Koga sighed then, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Are you sure?"Kagome asked, her face taking on an agonized expression as she extended the shards to the wolf-demon again.

"Positive," Koga nodded, closing the girl's hand over the shards, "You need them more than I do and they've brought me nothing but grief." Kagome stood there, dumbstruck.

"But..."she stammered, looking uncertainly down into her hand. At this point, Inuyasha came to a decision, one he was sure he would regret later. Still, even considering that, he couldn't stand the look on Kagome's face.

"Look, ya wimpy wolf," the dog-hanyō growled, "Just take the shards all ready, will ya?"

"Forget it, Mutt-face," the wolf-demon refused, turning his back on his erstwhile rival.

"You're makin' me mad," Inuyasha snarled.

"You don't understand, dog-breath," Koga replied angrily, "D'you think Kagome would have brought me the shards if they didn't belong to me?"

Inuyasha scowled in confusion.

"The reason I made Kagome my woman," Koga explained, "was because she could sense the shards. But what's the point if she doesn't love me?" The wolf-demon shook his head. "I've tried hard to get her to feel the same way for me that I feel for her, but it's no use. I've seen the way she looks at you, Mutt-face, and I know for a fact that she's never looked at me that way even once ."

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha objected.

"Don't play with me, Mutt-face," Koga growled, "Don't tell me you've never thought about mating with Kagome."

"What?" Inuyasha and Kagome both yelped, blushing furiously.

"I won't be seeing you again, Kagome," the wolf-demon finished, "I'm going to go gather up my tribe and take them into the Northern mountains to join with Ayame and her tribe. I'm sorry to have been a burden to you." Saying this, he bowed low. "C'mon, boys," he added, turning to the other two demons and the dozen or so wolves following him, "Let's go home." With that, they'd taken off at a jog. It was nightfall by that time, and the group of them had made camp in a little wooded clearing not too far away. Tenkei had made her bed on the opposite side of the fire from the rest of them and now Inuyasha was alone with his thoughts.

_'Don't tell me you've never thought about mating with Kagome.'_

The sentence reverberated in his mind. Mate with Kagome? She'd never allow it. Would she?

_'I've seen the way she looks at you, Mutt-face.'_

Did she look at Inuyasha differently than she looked at Koga? He'd always just assumed that her friendliness toward the wolf-demon coupled with his determination to woo her indicated that she had feelings for her would-be paramour.

He gazed down at Kagome's slumbering form again. _'Why did I never notice this before?'_ he thought, tenderly caressing the girl's soft black hair and letting strands of it slip through his fingers, _'What's this strange feeling in my heart mean?'_

Just then, his nose twitched with a familiar scent. A second later a trio of white snake-like demons floated out of the tree-line.

"Kikyo," he whispered under his breath. As he said the name, the woman it referred to stepped into the clearing.

"Inuyasha," she said. Unable to help himself, Inuyasha rose and walked toward her, slipping the Tetsusaiga into the left-side tie of his _hakama _as was his habit. "I need to ask you a question."

"Why bother?" the dog-hanyō replied, folding his arms, "I already know that nothing I say will change your mind."

Kikyo's eyebrows raised slightly at this. "I suppose there is some truth to that.," she said sadly. Reaching out, she gently touched Inuyasha's face. Instantaneously, his mind was filled with images. First, there were his various encounters with Kikyo. Accompanying them, were the memories of his emotions: respect guilt, shame, distrust, loneliness, desire to help. For a second, his world seemed to clear and then he was flooded with memories of Kagome and emotions related to her: frustration, confusion, respect, admiration, trust, impatience, companionship, desire, and finally, that other strange emotion that he'd been feeling earlier.

"Ah," Kikyo sighed, "I see. So, that is the way of things. Tenkei. Kagome." As she spoke, the two women she'd named immediately sat up, awake.

"Huh?" Kagome gasped.

"Lady Kikyo?" Tenkei replied softly.

"I have decided," Kikyo said, seating herself on the ground.

"You have, my lady?" Tenkei said uncertainly, standing to join her.

"Decided what? Kagome asked, also joining them.

"I will rejoin myself with you, Kagome," Kikyo told her, "There is a way that I can join my experience with your raw power. Together, we will have the power to defeat Naraku once and for all."

"That is a good choice, my lady," Tenkei smiled.

"That was the choice?" interjected Inuyasha in disbelief, "Whether to rejoin with Kagome or not?"

"Yes," Tenkei admitted.

"And you're going to do it?"Inuyasha asked incredulously.

"I must," Kikyo replied, "It is the only way I can accomplish the purpose of my life; the only way that I can find peace at last. And now you, too, must make a choice, Kagome."

"Me?" Kagome squeaked.

"Yes," Tenkei agreed, "and the choice for you is the same is for Lady Kikyo. You must decide whether to allow Lady Kikyo to rejoin with you."

"What happens if I agree?" Kagome faltered, nervous.

"All my knowledge will be yours," Kikyo answered, completely calm as usual.

"And if she doesn't agree?" demanded Inuyasha.

"You and your friends will never be able to defeat Naraku," Tenkei answered softly.

Inuyasha turned to look at Kagome, whose face was furrowed in thought.

"I don't know," the girl said at last, "What would happen to _me_?"

"You will not change," Tenkei explained, "It is much like taking a bottle of water from a river. Does that change the river?"

Kagome shook her head

"What if I spit in the bottle and pour it back into the river?" Tenkei pressed shyly, "will that change the river?"

Again, Kagome shook her head.

"That is correct," Tenkei smiled, laying a hesitant hand on the girl's shoulder, "Your soul is like the river. The creature, Urasue, took a bottle of water from you and gave it life. Life spat in the bottle and now the bottle wishes to return to the river. That is all."

Kagome's brows furrowed even further and she looked inquiringly at Inuyasha, who was taken aback by the peculiar look of pain in her face.

"Whatever you choose to do, Kagome," he told her, "I'm sure it'll be the right thing."

He was pleased to see the look of pain almost completely disappear from the girl's face.

"Then I'll do it," she smiled.

At this, Kikyo nodded, rising to her feet. As she did so, Kagome also stood, walking quietly forward to stand immediately before the priestess. Raising her hands, the Kikyo placed them on the shoulders of her younger incarnation.

"Now, concentrate, Kagome," Kikyo commanded softly, "Concentrate on restoring your soul."

Kagome closed her eyes, her eyebrows drawing down as she did so. As Inuyasha watched, a soul-collector swooped down and pulled a glowing ball of soul from Kikyo's back. Then Kagome gasped and the ball jerked from the soul-collector's grasp and zoomed to Kagome where it disappeared with a strange almost metallic sigh. At this, Kikyo's clay body collapsed in a positive fountain of blazing white souls, all of which floated away into the night like leaves on a stiff breeze. The soul collectors hesitated.

"Now, Inuyasha," Kagome said in a strange voice that was almost half Kikyo's, "destroy the body."

"What?" Inuyasha balked.

"Destroy it, Inuyasha," Kagome told him, looking at him with a face that looked more like Kikyo than Kagome, "it is just a shell made out of clay and no longer has any meaning."

"You can't be serious," the dog-hanyō objected.

"Are you so attached, Inuyasha?" Kikyo's voice taunted him, "Is your guilt so great that you are unable to destroy even a clay body with the semblance of Kikyo?"

"Do not push him, my lady," Tenkei whispered, "It is not his fault. Rest. Let me deal with this." So saying, she spun her suddenly glowing staff over her head and brought it down with a crack in the center of the clay body, which immediately shattered to dust. As she did so, Kagome let out a long deep sigh and collapsed, unconscious, into Inuyasha's arms.


	5. This Feeling

**Chapter 5: This Feeling**

It was nearly noon almost two days later when Kagome finally awoke. By then, the group of them had returned to the village where Kaede and her medicines waited. During the night, Inuyasha had collected as much of Kikyo's remains as he could in a cloth bag made from the very clothing the priestess had been wearing and when they returned, presented the bag to Kaede for reburial. Since that moment, however, Inuyasha had become increasingly irritable, refusing to leave Kagome's side for more than a few minutes at a time and unwilling to listen to arguments suggesting that he was overdoing it somehow. When she finally did wake up, it was to the sight of Inuyasha leaning anxiously over her.

"I...Inuyasha?" she moaned, groggily.

"I'm here," he responded softly, brushing a strand of hair out of her face, "Are you okay?"

"Fine, I think," Kagome frowned, rubbing her head.

"Can I bring you anything?" the dog hanyō asked solicitously, "Do you feel any different?"

"Um, no and no," Kagome grumbled, "aside from a serious headache."

"Are you sure?" Inuyasha asked, leaning in closer.

"Would you stop hovering?" Kagome snapped, "I said I was fine."

"You don't have to bite my head off, Kagome," Inuyasha growled in frustration.

"I'm sorry," she sighed, rubbing her head, "I think I need to go home for a little while."

"What?" Inuyasha gasped, "You're kidding."

"Nope," the girl frowned, pushing the covers aside, "Where's everyone else?"

"I...Th-they're waiting for you to wake up," the dog-hanyō stammered, flushing.

"Good," Kagome sighed, sounding tired as she pushed herself to her feet, "Then I won't have to hunt everyone down to say 'good bye' to them all."

"But, Kagome," the dog-hanyo protested, "D'ya really _have_ to go home? I know Kaede can mix up something that'll help your headache."

"Thanks," the girl replied with a fond smile, "but I already know that."

"Well, then..." Inuyasha began, helplessly.

"I...don't wanna talk about it right now," Kagome responded, glancing uncomfortably at the window. Looking in the same direction, Inuyasha noticed the bamboo curtain swinging in the non-existent wind.

"I see," he growled under his breath.

"At least I won't have to look too far," Kagome grumbled, turning to check the contents of her backpack. Inuyasha watched while she rifled around in it, muttering under her breath as she did so.

"Darn it!" she suddenly exclaimed. That was as close as Inuyasha had ever heard her come to swearing. "My toothbrush is missing. Now, I'll have to buy another one." He listened, grinning softly to himself as she continued rooting through her things, muttering irritably the entire time. As he watched, he once again found his heart filling with that strange feeling, a kind of warm, peaceful, yet unsettling feeling which seemed to emanate from the very center of his being.

"What's the matter with _you_?" a voice from the level of his knees asked. He looked down to see Shippo looking up at him knowingly.

"What's it to _you_?" the dog-hanyo growled back, not quite ready to share this newfound feeling with anyone just yet.

"C'mon, Inuyasha," the young fox-demon prodded, grinning mischievously up at him, "What's up? You can tell me. I won't tell a soul. Promise."

A number of clever retorts rose to mind at that. Inuyasha, however, wasn't in a mood to try any of them. "I'll tell you when I'm ready," he answered at last, "Speakin' of bein' ready. You ready, yet, Kagome?"

"Almost," she replied, absently removing a handful of dry leaves from the battered pack and throwing them out the window, "There. Now, I'm ready."

"You're leaving us again, Kagome?" Shippo moaned unhappily. "What did you say to her this time, Inuyasha?" he added, turning with an accusing look on the defenseless dog-hanyo.

"He didn't say anything," Kagome cut in, squatting so that she was at close to eye-level with the young fox-kit, "I just feel like I need to go home, that's all. I'll come back soon. I promise."

"Will you bring us back some ninja-food?" Shippo asked eagerly.

"You bet," Kagome responded, smiling.

"Hooray!" the young fox-demon cheered, jumping up to wrap his little arms around her neck, eliciting a laugh from his surprised victim.

After that, Inuyasha waited while Kagome said goodbye to Sango, Miroku and Tenkei. Miroku, who had some suspicious-looking dead leaves in his hair, looked almost too innocent for words. Inuyasha was already well aware of the unprincipled monk's predilection for spying. He'd spoken to the monk any number of times on the subject in varying tones of voice but even that never seemed to stop the irrepressible man. Inuyasha stood by and watched jealously while Kagome said her good-byes. He felt so strange, watching her smile and laugh, embrace and reassure. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before. He had no name for it. Suddenly, gazing at Kagome, he became aware that Miroku was favoring him with a disturbingly knowing look. Not knowing what else to do, the dog-hanyo rolled his eyes in exasperation and rather determinedly stared into a nearby rice paddy instead.

"Okay, Inuyasha," Kagome suddenly said from his immediate right, "I'm ready to go."

"About time," the dog-hanyo growled.

"All right," Kagome scowled, walking past him, "keep your shirt on."

Inuyasha tugged at his red _hakama, _looking at her in complete confusion.

"It's an expression," the girl sighed irritably, "Are you coming or not?"

Not waiting for a second invitation, Inuyasha ran to catch up, slowing to a walk as he reached her. They walked in silence for a while and, though they were completely within arms reach, he refrained from touching her but resigned himself to simply watching her, hoping to, somehow, see any changes that might have taken place since Kagome and Kikyo had merged.

"What?" Kagome suddenly asked, giving him a strange look.

"Nothing," Inuyasha responded guiltily, looking away. They walked quietly for a minute more before he noticed _Kagome_ was watching _him_.

"What?" he asked, unknowingly echoing her previous question.

"Nothing," Kagome replied, looking away.

"It's _not_ nothing," Inuyasha yelled, turning on her, "Tell me what's bothering you."

"You first," she replied, looking back with a smile of challenge on her face.

"I...uh," he stammered, caught off-guard, "I...I"

"Never mind," she sighed then, "You were probably wondering if I was any different, now that Kikyo and I are...um...rejoined."

"Uh," Inuyasha tried, warily, "Yeah. How'd you know that?"

"'Cause I was wondering the same thing," Kagome replied, turning back toward the well and beginning to walk again, "That's why I want to go home, so much. I have all these new memories of my life before I was ever born; memories that weren't there before, of fights, of rituals...of you." She looked up then her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "I'm scared, Inuyasha. I wanna go back to my real life and reconnect with the real me. Do you understand?"

That strange warm feeling in his heart surged, filling his whole being and, quite suddenly, he realized he _did_ understand. Nodding, he took Kagome into his arms, holding her tightly as she began to cry in his arms and feeling secretly pleased when she did. She certainly didn't feel or act any different and having her body that close to him made him feel strangely comfortable and safe.

"If you have to go home to feel better," Inuyasha said then, "I won't stop you. Only..." He hesitated, holding her body away from him a little, "Can I still come see you, sometimes?"

She smiled, her face lighting like a young sunrise. "Of course," she laughed, "My life wouldn't be the same without you, Inuyasha."

He smiled back, suddenly feeling as though he was flying. "Well, then," he said with some difficulty, "Take all the time you need." He was surprised to see her smile get even wider.

"Do you mean it?" Kagome asked incredulously, "You're not gonna go all possessive on me, this time?"

"No," Inuyasha responded, feeling inexplicably better, "Not this time. Just promise you'll come back eventually, okay?"

"I promise," she laughed, embracing him again. He squeezed her gently then unwillingly let her go, strangely happy when her left hand remained nestled comfortably in his right. They walked that way all the rest of the way to the well, Inuyasha once again feeling uneasily like he was being watched and fairly sure by whom. Nevertheless, suppressing a growl of frustration, he walked hand in hand with Kagome until they reached the well.

"When will I see you?" Kagome asked then, one hand resting on the weathered wood.

"Tonight," Inuyasha promised, softly squeezing her hand, then, with some difficulty, releasing it, "I'll be there tonight."

Kagome smiled, reaching out to hug him, "I'll see you tonight, then." So saying, she planted a quick kiss on his cheek before disappearing into the darkened depths. As she vanished, Inuyasha could feel his cheeks beginning to flush and, reaching up to touch the spot Kagome's lips had brushed, felt that strange feeling begin to surge through his heart again. Suddenly, there was a soft rustling in the nearby bushes.

"All right, Miroku," he growled, "Come on out."

With a guilty swish of robes, Miroku stepped from the bushes, followed, unsurprisingly, by Shippo.

"Where's Sango?" Inuyasha asked irritably.

"We asked her and Tenkei to join us," Shippo offered before Miroku could stop him, "But Tenkei said you deserved your privacy. She said it wasn't honorable to spy on you, so Sango said she should probably stay, too."

"Didn't stop _you_ though, did it?" groused the dog-hanyo and stalked away shaking his head in annoyance.

"Inuyasha," Shippo called after him, "Are you in love?"

The question followed him like banner. _Are you in love?_ Love? Was that the strange feeling whenever Kagome was nearby? If that was the case, what was this strange empty feeling in its place, now that she wasn't there? Choosing an exceptionally tall tree, Inuyasha leaped into the embrace of its branches and gazed back at the empty well that seemed to beckon to him from the middle of its field. A strange kind of yearning seemed to have taken hold of him and he found himself longing to follow the slender girl into its shadowy depths. _Are you in love? _How would he find out?

In the end, he decided to talk with Kaede about it. Her experience, he judged, would more than likely provide him with the answers he needed. As luck would have it, she was just on her way to gather medicinal herbs and roots, so the dog-hanyo offered to accompany her, ostensibly for her protection. Before they'd taken two steps out of the village, Inuyasha knew she'd seen through that facade in much the same way he would look through a window.

"So, Inuyasha," she commented, adjusting her basket of tools, "What, then, would ye know that ye could not ask of me in the village?" The silence hung like a curtain between them while they walked, Inuyasha trying desperately to come up with an off-hand way to ask his question.

"What's love?" he finally asked, finding no other way to put it.

"Have ye finally admitted it to yeself, then, Inuyasha?" Kaede responded, stooping to pluck a few stalks of a tall leafy plant with a cluster of tiny yellow flowers on its top.

"Admitted what?" Inuyasha replied defensively.

"That ye love the girl, Kagome," Kaede answered simply, bending down to dig in the earth with a short knife and uprooting several plants in the process.

A thousand possible denials entered his mind and left just a quickly. Finally, he decided, given Kaede's ability to see right to the truth, that honesty was probably the best response.

"I-I'm not sure," he admitted softly, feeling his cheeks grow warm as he did so. Kaede let out a short sharp bark, startling the hanyo until he realized with chagrin that the old priestess was laughing.

"Is that why ye fight it so, Inuyasha?" she cackled, "Because ye do not understand it?"

Inuyasha fought the sudden desire to grab the old lady by her _hakama_ and shake the answers out of her bodily.

"Do not fret so, Inuyasha," she reassured him, "That which we call love is different in each heart that feels it. Even I have felt its pull upon my soul and I would have listened to it, save that I am this village's priestess. When I was very young, my mother once told me that love is that which binds the world together."

"That's all really nice," sighed Inuyasha, "But it doesn't tell me anything."

"Very well, Inuyasha," Kaede nodded, bending to pick the leaves off another nearby plant, "What would ye know of it, then?"

"What's it like?" he asked.

"Love?" Kaede clarified, "It is willingness to do for one person that which one would not normally do. When ye love someone, ye feel a sort of kinship with that person. Ye find yeself going to great lengths for that person. Ye have seen this feeling at work, have ye not?"

Inuyasha nodded, thinking of Miroku and Sango. Before Sango had joined them, Miroku had quite shamelessly chased after every beautiful young female who happened to pass by him, with no apologies to the rest of the group, either. After Sango, however, Inuyasha had seen the unscrupulous monk's behavior change ever so slightly. Although he still never missed an opportunity to massage the demon hunter's behind, there were times when he seemed to enjoy just walking beside her, not to mention the number of times he had put his life in danger for her sake, just as Kagome had done for him. That last thought stopped him. Did Kagome _love_ him? Was _that_ why she stayed? Why she kept coming back?

"Ye understand, now, Inuyasha?" Kaede asked, a knowing glint twinkling in her age scarred eyes. Uncertain, he nodded then shook his head.

"I don't know," he replied, idly picking a few more of the leaves Kaede was gathering and handing them to her.

"Very well," Kaede replied, looking up at the dog-hanyo's bewildered face, "What feel ye about Kagome at this second?"

"I," he began uncertainly, "I want to go to her. To be with her."

"Then trust this old heart," the priestess replied, laying a weathered hand on his arm, "Ye _are_ in love with Kagome."

"But what do I do about it?" he asked.

"That is up to ye," Kaede responded, turning away to gather some loose bark and mushrooms from a nearby tree, "I would that ye tell her, though, were it me."

"Tell her?" Inuyasha responded, suddenly, inexplicably frightened, "Why?"

"Only then will ye know how _she_ feels," the old priestess responded, "Ye can guess, of course, and ye can also hide the feelings ye feel. But how will that profit ye? Of what worth will the feelings be to ye if do not know if she feels similarly? Ye may find yeself wondering what might have happened if ye _had _told her. Consider that, Inuyasha, when ye make the decision."

Inuyasha sighed, shaking his head, "Don't tell anyone we talked about this, will you, old woman?"

"No living soul shall learn the news from these lips," Kaede swore.

With that, Inuyasha leaped away, running at full-speed back to his tall tree overlooking the field with the Bone Eater's Well in it. Gazing at the open hole in the grass, Inuyasha mulled over some of the old woman's words. _Trust this old heart. Ye are in love with Kagome._ _It is willingness to do for one person that which one would not normally do. I would that ye tell her. _Fear warred with desire as he watched the sun sink slowly toward the west. He longed to tell her with every fiber of his being, but he feared her reaction. What if she didn't feel the same way? What if she did? What if he told her and it frightened her as much as it frightened him? Still more, what if she found that she had changed somehow since she'd rejoined with Kikyo? As he thought about it, this last didn't seem to hold much difference to how he felt. He'd cared for Kikyo just as he cared for Kagome and now they were one person; a person he loved. This admission made the strange feeling in his heart surge anew and, abruptly, he realized he'd decided. Leaping from the tree, he ran to a nearby field to prepare a surprise for her.

-------------------------

Kagome had had a full day. She'd gone to school that morning with all her usual friends and fielded the usual questions about the illnesses her grandfather had invented to explain her many absences from school. This time, apparently, she'd been hospitalized with malaria and chicken pox at the same time. Thinking about it just made her want to shake her head in frustration. Needless to say, she'd arrived in school just in time. Two of her teachers had announced tests to be given at the end of the week. They'd be reviewing course material all week so no student could say he or she hadn't received the material. Kagome had taken careful notes and stashed them carefully in her book-bag before leaving for the day.

Unfortunately, she'd been unable to avoid running into Hojo on the way out. He'd given her a tube of hydro-cortizone ointment and a basket of oranges and asked her if she would visit the local cinema with him that weekend. She'd given her usual protests and added a suggestion that he take some other girl, even going so far as to name names. He'd laughed and said he'd wait until she was available, then wheeled away smiling on his bike. With a sigh, she'd brought home the ointment and oranges and handed them, without a word, to her grandfather, who'd accepted them with a chuckle of glee.

Once at home and with the "gifts" unloaded, she immediately felt better and went up to her room to tackle her homework. However, she found it difficult to concentrate. The new memories of her life as Kikyo, the wandering priestess, warred with the information she'd absorbed at school in her real life. Once again, her head began to throb and she wished fervently that Inuyasha were there to make her feel at least a little better. Failing that, she'd gone to her mother for some acetaminophen and a glass of water and tried valiantly to shove the new memories aside for a while so she could concentrate. Time passed and she did manage to get some of it done, but history and creative writing remained firmly out of her grasp.

Finally, just as the sun was setting, her mother called her downstairs for dinner. They had curry and steamed vegetables for dinner and sometime during dessert, which turned out to be strawberry sherbet, there was a knock on the door. Sota went to answer it, calling, "Kagome, it's for you!" from the door in his usual younger brother fashion. However, when she went to get it, giving Sota her usual smack on the head for his rudeness, she discovered, to her shock, that it was Inuyasha.

"What're you doing _here_?" she asked impulsively, taking stock of the young half-demon's bearing and noting the fact that his right hand was behind his back.

"I...ah, I," Inuyasha tried, shuffling his bare feet on the mat. Kagome waited, wondering why he'd chosen to knock rather than just entering, which was what he usually did. "Um, here!" he finished at last, thrusting a large bouquet of wildflowers into her arms. Every beautiful flower she'd ever seen and admired near the village back in the Feudal Era was represented.

"Wow," she gasped, turning the bouquet over in her hands, "They're so...beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you," Inuyasha murmured.

"_What_ did you say?" Kagome frowned, looking worried, "Are you feeling all right?"

"Yes, I...ah," Inuyasha faltered, slipping his hands into his sleeves as he spoke. Just then, his eyes slipped from hers to a spot just over her left shoulder, "Could we go, uh, somewhere more, um, private?"

Kagome glanced over her left shoulder and was surprised to see Sota peeking at her from the kitchen door. Favoring the boy with a glare that would freeze raw meat, she took Inuyasha by the arm and led him away to the shade of the sacred tree where she sat down on a nearby stone bench. Motioning him to join her, she wasn't surprised when he squatted near her feet instead.

"Kagome, I...um," he began, taking her other hand, "I have something I need to tell you and I...I hope it's okay for me to..." he glanced up at her, his face so full of conflicting emotions that she had to struggle between outright laughter and taking him into her arms like a forlorn child. Finally, she settled on a patient, encouraging smile.

Inuyasha let out a sigh, coupled with an angry look away that told her he was berating himself for cowardice, and looked up again, determination now shining in his face.

"Kagome," he whispered resolutely , "I...I love you."

She blinked.

"W...what?" she gasped, her mouth suddenly dry.

"I...I love you," he repeated, louder this time.

"Say it again," she asked, seizing him by the shoulders.

"I love you," he obliged her, smiling in hope mixed with relief.

She laughed, hugging him close. "You don't know how much I wanted to hear you _say_ that one day," she declared happily.

"You..." he stammered in surprise, "you did?"

"Of course, I have," she sighed happily.

"But that means..." he began.

"Yes," she finished, smiling broadly, "I love you, too."

At that, he grinned from ear to ear, hugging her so hard her ribs creaked. She didn't care. She laughed. She hugged him back as hard as she could and they stayed that way for a long time. Finally, she sighed, looking up at the tree.

"What?" he asked, curiosity written on his face.

"I was just remembering something my mother told me once," Kagome replied, her smile softening, "She said my father proposed to her under this tree."

"Proposed?" Inuyasha repeated, confused.

"It means he asked her to marry him," Kagome explained, "Mom says the tree brings out people's true feelings."

"Really?" the hanyo responded, looking up at the tree questioningly.

"Yeah," Kagome chuckled, hugging him again.

"So," Inuyasha offered, taking her hand and leading her as close to the tree as the fence would allow, "what if I kissed you?"

She giggled, "That'd be okay."

He let out a yell of pure joy, then leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. She kissed him back, remembering the first time they'd ever kissed back in the mirror castle with Kaguya trying to take his humanity from him. This was sweeter, though, because she wasn't trying to save him. She was just standing there under the sacred tree kissing a man she loved.

Out of the blue, she heard a sigh. Breaking the kiss, she looked over Inuyasha's shoulder to see her family standing at the door of her house watching with great big grins on their faces.

"Oh no," she gasped, her face growing decidedly warm.

"What?" Inuyasha asked. Looking back over his shoulder, he spied their smiling audience. "Damn," he whispered, backing away.

"Don't let us disturb you, there, young man," Kagome's grandfather said, inadvertently showing him exactly how many teeth he was missing.

"I'd better go," the hanyo whispered, releasing her with obvious reluctance.

"See you tomorrow, okay," Kagome whispered back.

"Sure you want to see me?" Inuyasha asked, looking warily back at Kagome's retreating family.

"Are you kidding?" she replied, kissing his cheek, "See you tomorrow."

He laughed, then turned and ran to the well-house, disappearing through the doors like the wisp of a dream. Watching him go, she felt wonderfully warm inside. With a sigh, she turned and went back into her house, ignoring the knowing smiles from her family as she made her way up to her room. Once there, she sat down and opened her history book. She had a history report and a composition due in a week and absolutely _had _to find a way to finish them.

As she began to work she was surprised to find that the new memories now appeared to have integrated themselves with her old ones. The result was, for some reason, that she seemed better able to study, using experience gleaned from the past for help. Somehow, Inuyasha's unexpected confession had turned a key inside her. Her headache had utterly evaporated. It was strange, to say the least, but nice. Pleased, she worked as quickly as "experience" suggested she should, finishing her history report and getting a good start on her composition before her mother came up to let her know it was time for bed.

"Did you have a good day, dear?" her mother asked, watching her daughter don pajamas and turn the sheets down.

"Yeah," she responded, thinking back to the confession and the resulting kiss, "I really did."


End file.
